Saartjie Petit Verdot 2021

Saartjie Single Vineyard Selection Petit Verdot 2021

Tasting Notes
Hand-selected grapes from a north-west facing single block of Petit Verdot — a mere 1 400 vines planted in well-drained Hutton and Oakleaf soils.

A full-bodied wine with an intense dark colour. Complex nose with hints of aniseed, dark berries, cigar box, mocha and dark chocolate. Velvety, silky tannins on the palate with prominent dark berries and spices, and a long, lingering finish. Enjoy now or cellar for a few years.

Winemaker
Arno Smith

Vineyard
North-west facing vineyards in Durbanville

Soil Type
Well-drained Hutton & Glenrosa soils

Vineyard Area
Small block — 0.39 hectares in extent, with a mere 1 400 vines

Trellis
Vertical shoot positioning (VSP) with two movable wires

Irrigation
Used sparingly, to supplement evaporative losses during grape ripening

Harvested
At optimum ripeness — two pickings, 28 February and 14 March

Degree Balling
Between 22.5 ˚B and 24.5 ˚B

Fermentation
Cold soaking on skins for two nights with repeated pump-overs to extract maximum colour and flavour in a non-alcoholic environment. After fermentation the wine was racked into 225 L French oak barrels — 50% new, the rest 2nd fill — for 12 months of barrel maturation.

Analysis
Alc: 14.26% | RS: 4.7 g/l | TA: 5.1 g/l | pH: 3.66