Frans K. Smit White Blend & complimentary Creative Block 2

This remarkable wine is one to treasure — make it the cornerstone of your own collection, or gift it to the connoisseur in your life. Named after Spier's managing director (and longstanding former Cellar Master) this wine represents the pinnacle of his passion, craft and commitment to terroir.

TASTING NOTE
This Bordeaux-style white offers harmoniously balanced, subtly articulated flavours. Soft, rounded and refined, it has traces of the unexpected, like fig leaves on the nose and the merest hint of elderflower. This complexity of flavours comes from very selective sourcing and attention to detail. The presence of oak is a barely-there sensation, on the nose rather than the palate. This stirs yet more complexity into its wonderful creaminess. While already intriguingly complex, the 2018 vintage promises to become increasingly layered over the coming years and will show best at 5 – 8 years after harvest.

SERVE WITH

Pair with citrus-buttered line-fish or whole steamed lobster.

SPECIFICATIONS

WINEMAKER
Frans Smit 

ORIGIN
Stellenbosch

TERROIR / SOIL
Decomposed granite soils

VINEYARD AND CLIMATE CONDITIONS
Timing was certainly of the essence. It had been a very warm summer. We had to deal with rapid ripeneing and so we harvested about a month early. The Sauvignon Blanc was picked at optimum ripeness, while the berry showed excellent natural acidity and strident tannins. The Sémillon came off the vine at 22 - 22.5 degrees Balling - at peak acidity.

WINEMAKING
Also crucial to the taste profile, ultimately, was allowing about a day of skin contat on the press, using only free-run juice, and then a long stint on the lees. Similar to our process in 2016, we barrel-blended to exact percentages before beginning fermentation. Fermentation took place in one large, lightly toasted foudre barrel, before ageing on the lees for 14 months. The blend was nicely integrated before bottling.

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