The wine displays a brilliant pale straw colour. Aromas of yellow lemon skin and lime blossom interplay with lightly toasted brioche characters, subtle cinnamon and vanilla. The entry on the palate is vibrant with fresh sweet lime, roasted lemon, appealing chalkiness and the lightest note of ginger. The palate has a beautiful silky texture - testament to it being barrel aged on the lees – and a refreshingly dry finish.
Viticulture
The grapes for this wine originate from Tokara’s Stellenbosch property, as well as bought in fruit from two Stellenbosch vineyards where we have a longstanding relationship with the grape grower and specific blocks that we pick each year. The vineyards crop at around 6 t/ha. The grapes were picked at optimal ripeness with sugars between 21 and 23 degrees brix and acidities ranging from 6 to 8 g/l.
Vinification
The grapes were de-stemmed, crushed and pressed to stainless steel tanks for overnight settling, after which the juice was racked and run to barrel with some lees added back. 100% of the wine fermented in 228L French oak barrels 7% being new barrels. The wine spent 8 months in barrel ageing on the lees with regular lees stirring. 45% of the wine completed malolactic fermentation during barrel ageing. The wine was bottled in October 2022 after tartrate stabilisation and filtration. 109 870 bottles were produced.
Recommendation
A perfect pairing with fish and chicken dishes where lemon has been incorporated or served as an aperitif.