Product Notes
HARVEST & VINTAGE NOTES
Skerpioen (Scorpion) is a very unique, unirrigated old vine parcel planted on the West Coast near the village of Dwarskersbos. It is planted in chalky (limestone) soils in one of the coolest parts of the Swartland region, located a mere 2km from the Atlantic Ocean, but this is also a very dry location with an average rainfall of around 300mm per year. The cool climate and restrictive growth as a result of the limited water availability have resulted in this 60-year-old parcel rendering a wine with a distinctive imprint. Its 2.4 ha of old vines are planted to Chenin Blanc and Palomino.
They are picked and pressed together, and co-fermented in old wooden casks.
The 2016 Skerpioen came in slightly riper than in previous years, mainly on account of the drought and less soil moisture, but for some mystical reason the wine still retained very good levels of acidity. In some ways the same mineral and salty aromas are very pronounced and the wine finishes with a clear, flinty edge. Decanting recommended.
WINEMAKERS:
Eben Sadie & Paul Jordaan
GRAPES: 50% Chenin Blanc, 50% Palomino; (Local synonyms: Steen & Vaalblaar)
ALCOHOL: 13.5%
PH: 3.13
TOTAL ACIDITY: 6.2 g/L
TOTAL SULPHUR: 97 mg/L
RESIDUAL SUGAR: 2.2 g/L