2021 - Semillon, Boekenhoutskloof, Franschhoek

The 2021 Semillon comes from two vineyards, one planted in 1942 (white sand plus granite) and another in 1902 (granite with quartz). It was whole bunch pressed and aged for 14 months in 70% new French oak. Blended with 3% Muscat d'Alexandria, also planted in 1902, it has a delineated, lanolin-tinged bouquet with a hint of green olive. The palate is beautiful, waxy in texture, with veins of lemongrass and lemon thyme, detailed and poised with impressive concentration on the finish. This will be a serious, long-term Semillon, and I know from first-hand experience how brilliantly they can age in bottle. This will be released in 2024.

The 2021 Semillon, made with a splash of Muscat, offers a fresher, brighter profile compared to the 2020 vintage, with less noticeable reduction on the nose. This year's rendition is brighter and fleshier, featuring wax melon, yellow apples, brown baking spices and an open-knit nose with underripe peach and slightly nutty nuances. Medium to full-bodied, it presents a subdued phenolic bitterness and a fuzzy, integrated texture, culminating in a food-friendly finish. After aging for 14 months in 70% new French barrique, 12,786 bottles were produced.

Full bottle 1,356 g. From Certified Heritage Vineyards, which count among the oldest in South Africa. Two of the vineyards used for this Semillon, planted in 1902 and 1942, are unirrigated bush vines, growing on little to no slope in the ancient Franschhoek Riverbed. These vineyards are well established on alluvial soils with a high loam content. The third vineyard, planted in 1936, is located further up the valley on a 45-degree south-facing slope, on decomposed granite and quartz soils. Some of the vines within these vineyards have naturally mutated from Semillon to Semillon Gris, which has a slight red hue and higher skin-to-pulp ratio. The Semillon Gris vines naturally require more ripening time and are harvested during a second picking. Also included is a small portion of historic Muscat d'Alexandrie, planted in 1902. Grapes were whole-bunch pressed and spontaneously fermented in 225-litre barriques and concrete eggs. Maturation occurs at low temperatures, without sulphite additions, for 14 months: 70% in new French oak barriques and 30% in concrete eggs. The Muscat d'Alexandrie was skin-fermented and matured in clay amphorae. TA 5.2 g/l, pH 3.26.  Lovely smoky intensity of grapefruit, and I think I can detect a very slight grapey note from the Muscat but this may be autosuggestion ... Deep, chewy and firmly textured, gently tannic and so fresh. Full in the mouth, creamy, but still very fresh, complex already and yet needs more time in the bottle to show its full panoply of flavours. Depth, harmony and length, all in embryo for now. (JH)