Winemaker Notes
The nose is delicate and elegant with its grapefruit, greengage, chamomile, and apple blossom aromas and whiffs of exotic spice. The floral character of the nose follows through onto a richly textured mid-palate, showing yellow peach, poached pear and nectarine against a backdrop of fresh mandarin and green fig flavors with integrated acidity and a full body. The ripe stone fruit character adds to the complexity on the palate, and the spicy finish, with hints of fenugreek, black cardamom, and Cape fynbos, complements a very balanced wine.
Blend: 96% Semillon, 4% Muscat d'Alexandrie
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
An elegant white that layers a bright spine of acidity with a lightly fleshy range of melon, salted almond, thyme and chamomile notes. A waxy touch of lemon oil plays on the sleek, mineral-laced finish.
Sémillon has the power to create wines with considerable structure, depth and length that will improve for several decades. It is the perfect partner to the vivdly aromatic Sauvignon Blanc. Sémillon especially shines in the Bordeaux region of Sauternes, which produces some of the world’s greatest sweet wines. Somm Secret—Sémillon was so common in South Africa in the 1820s, covering 93% of the country’s vineyard area, it was simply referred to as Wyndruif, or “wine grape.”
Originally named Franschhoek meaning the “French Corner” because it was home to the influx of French Huguenots, today the valley contains many historic cellars and is an important tourist location because of its proximity to Cape Town.
This valley falls to the southeast of Paarl and is enclosed on three sides by towering mountains. Streams from the slopes flow down to the valley floor, converging to form the Berg River. The area excels in the production of full-bodied reds.