Stellenzicht Semillon Reserve

Wine information: Stellenzicht fits comfortably into its icon status, achieved over a decade by a consistent stream of award-winning wines of unsurpassed quality. Their Shiraz wines are legendary while their Pinotages are fast catching up. Winemaker Guy Webber ascribes their success to the farm's superb terroir, situated in what is locally referred to as the Wineland's Golden Triangle, but his skill as a winemaker definitely plays a significant role. The Stellenzicht Semillon vineyards are situated on decomposed granite at an altitude of 290m and on a slope facing predominantly south-west. Following hand-harvesting and after destalking and crushing, the mash was transferred to closed stainless steel tanks where fermentation was induced by the addition of a selected yeast strain. Once fermentation was strongly underway, the must was transferred to barrels for the completion of the fermentation as well as for maturation on the lees. Malolactic fermentation was induced to add complexity to the wine although it was not allowed to reach completeness in order to retain some of the fresh natural acidity. With bi-weekly batonage to extract the full benefit of the lees, the wine matured in barrel for 12 months before being prepared for bottling. The barrels comprised 50% new French and Hungarian oak (500L) with the remaining 50% being second-fill (300L) barrels used for the same wine the previous vintage. Stellenzicht Semillon Reserve is straw yellow with green tinges. The nose has aromas of lime and grapefruit with nuts, honey and vanilla notes in the background. The palate is rich and round with honey and fresh citrus followed by a creamy, buttery aftertaste. Stellenzicht Semillons are renowned for their longevity. The 2008 is drinking well already, but, like a great white wines of Bordeaux, it will unfold even more and put on further weight when cellared. It shows very good overall balance which bodes well for the future. Semillon is the ultimate food wine. It can match weighty fish and seafood dishes like sole meuniére, trout with almonds, and deep-fried calamari. It is a most suitable partner to a wide range of flavourful dishes created from veal, poultry and smoked meat. Delicious with tuna or nicoise salads or a bowl of mixed greens dressed with a combination of Sémillon (instead of vinegar) and walnut oil.

 
     

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