Winemaker Notes
#56 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2022
Aromas of bruised peaches, rhubarb and custard sweets and earl grey tea. Chalky and long finish on the palate.
Blend: 85% Chenin Blanc, 8% Semillon, 7% Colombar
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Gauzy and deeply golden in hue, this skin-contact version offers steeped raspberry and poached apricot fruit, with notes of aromatic herbs, flowers and orange peel as well as hints of clove and graphite. Fresh and well-cut, with a lightly chalky finish. Chenin Blanc, Sémillon and Colombard.
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
Literally meaning "the black land," Swartland takes its name from the endangered, indigenous "renosterbos" (translating to rhino bush), which used to be plentiful enough to turn the entire landscape a dark color certain during times of year. The district, attracting some of the most adventurous and least interventionist winemakers, excels in robust and full-bodied reds as well as quality fortified wines.