2012 La Motte Sauvignon Blanc
2012 La Motte Sauvignon Blanc - La Motte White Wine

2012 La Motte Sauvignon Blanc

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In producing this aperitif-style wine, the fruits from the best Sauvignon Blanc terroirs in the Western Cape were combined, to create a full-flavoured, versatile wine with remarkable consistency and varietal character. This Sauvignon Blanc is very fruity when young – the preference of most followers of this variety – and develops into a well-balanced, complex wine.

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This wine was made from grapes originating from vineyards growing in different regions in the Cape wine-lands – Franschhoek (30%), Elgin (30%), Stellenbosch (20%), Elim (5%), Durbanville (5%), Darling and West Coast (5%) and Nieuwoudtville (5%).

Several factors caused lower than average yield in most of the areas from which the grapes originate. Although it was fairly cool during the growing season, some areas suffered from drought conditions. Those that did not receive irrigation water later in the season, suffered further losses – especially the Darling area was hit hard. The season will be remembered for the heat waves during late January. On three consecutive days the temperature rose above 40 °C in the Boland and a few days later two further such days followed. Most of this wine consists of grapes originating from cooler areas that were not affected by the heat.

Each vineyard grows in its own macro climate and different clones are represented. All the vineyards are trellised and managed to maintain a perfect balance between leaf coverage and yield. Thanks to different terroirs, each region produces its own distinctive grapes, so grapes from each area make a unique contribution to the character of this wine. The grapes originating from Franschhoek and Walker Bay are organically grown

Grapes were harvested at between 19 and 23 degrees Balling to capture natural acids and produce fuller, riper flavours. The process was reductive, with cold fermentation (10 – 13 °C). After fermentation, the wine was left on the lees for three months to enhance complexity. For further complexity, the wine was blended with 5% Semillon. The first batch of 85 000 cartons (6 x 750 ml) was bottled on 25 May 2012 for release as 2012 La Motte Sauvignon Blanc

Elgin grapes performed well this year and a large portion went into this wine. The nose shows strong gooseberry character backed up by apple, pineapple, passion- fruit and wild grass nuances. In spite of a heat wave in some areas shortly before harvest-time, the wine has high natural acid, leaving a fresh, clean after-taste following a beautifully silky, round palate

Alcohol 12,73% vol
Residual sugar 2,5 g/l
Total acid 6,7 g/l
pH 3,31