The wine is a blend of 90% Shiraz and 10% Viognier. The Shiraz component is from Bot River in the Walker Bay Region (50%), Franschhoek (25%) and Wellington (25%) while the Viognier originates from Wellington.
The Period that preceded the 2006 harvest was reasonably normal in terms of long-term standards. Winters was sufficiently wet and cold to ensure dormancy, but an untimely hot period during August was probably the cause of uneven budding in some varietals. Shiraz was severely affected and intensive measures were required to ensure more even budding. December was a very windy period and water consumption was high. The stress caused smaller berries to be formed - a positive factor. Harvesting started at the normal time and grapes for this wine were picked between 10 February and 8 March.
All the vineyards have unique micro climates and grow in a large variety of soil types. All vineyards are trellised in accordance with the Perold system and are managed to be perfectly in balance in terms of leaf coverage and yield. Thanks to the different terroirs, each region produces its own distinctive grapes. The result is that each region makes a unique contribution in flavour and structure. Due to intensive harvest control after the uneven budding, yield was less than six tons per hectare.
The Viognier, that ripens before the Shiraz, was harvested on 10 February and placed in a refrigerator. Harvesting of the Shiraz followed three weeks later. Both varietals were hand-sorted and placed together in one tank. Wine was pumped over regularly and was fermented at 25 degrees Celsius. After fermentation, extended skin contact of approximately two weeks was allowed. Malolactic fermentation and maturation occurred in 225-litre French oak barrels, 66% of which were new. The wine was matured for 15 months and was bottled in November 2007 for release as 2006 La Motte Shiraz Viognier.
The wine shows intense red berry fruit with slight caramel nuances extracted from the French oak. These are well integrated with dried peach flavours. The ample-bodied palate has a powdery texture with spicy undertones and lots of dimension.
Alcohol 13,76% vol
Residual sugar 2,5 g/l
Total acid 5,1 g/l
pH 3,68
