Winemaker Notes
The 2022 Skerpioen enters the aromatics with volumes of fruit and limey, citrus and chamomile flowers. This wine’s distinctive saline qualities, salty taste, and minerality are again prominent.The salinity of this wine is a textbook aspect of the site and terroir of this vineyard.The tannins are firm and the acidity is fresh.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Lemon verbena, white grapefruit, mangosteen and white Asian pears. Hints of white flowers and blanched almonds. It’s wonderfully fresh, bright and textured, with a saltiness and chalky minerality coming through. Still tightly wound, but opens up and does not lack concentration. Co-pressed and co-fermented 50% chenin blanc and 50% palomino. Try from 2024.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made from Chenin Blanc and Palomino, the 2022 Old Vine Series Skerpioen displays aromas of wax melon with hints of sea spray and lemon skin before offering a dusty floral essence. Medium-bodied and with excellent mineral tension, the palate bursts to life with energetic acidity, showing layers of freshness and complexity before ending with a lively, food-friendly finish. Only 7,400 bottles were produced of this gorgeous wine.
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.