2016 Kloovenburg Eight Feet White

Kloovenburg Estate is located in the Riebeek Valley in the Swartland region. The foothills of the Riebeekberg with their schist soils form the ideal substrate for growing the best quality grapes. There were already vines here in the mid-18th century, but it was only with the Du Toit family that the grapes were transformed here into quality wines. The Kloovenburg now belongs to the best 5% of all wines in the world according to the consumer opinion of Vivino, and Platter and Tim Atkins (the specialists on African wines) also rate the wines of Kloovenburg very highly.

The Kloovenburg estate Eight white is a blend of Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne and Verdelho. All grapes are hand-picked in the early morning hours and then chilled overnight in a temperature-controlled room at 5°. All grape varieties are picked at different ripeness levels to ensure a balanced blend, with good fruit purity, freshness, complexity and length. All grape varieties are pressed separately and as whole clusters. The freewheel juice was then drained into a stainless steel tank to allow the juice to settle at 8°C for 24 hours. No enzymes are used during the settling process. The juice is matured in 300 liter French oak barrels, 10% new and the rest is third-year oak to get a nice wood touch, but it should certainly not be too dominant for this elegant eight feet white. The fermentation takes up to three months. No malolactic fermentation takes place to preserve more of the natural acidity. After fermentation, the wine is given a low dose of sulfur and left on the lees with regular battonage. The wine spends a total of 11 months in the barrel before being blended and bottled.

This lovely white Eight Feet from Klovenburg also received 93/100 points from Tim Atkins. The wine has a beautiful straw yellow color with aromas of peach, pineapple, white flowers, citrus and herbs in the nose. The taste is rich, structured with a balanced acidity. The palate shows more citrus flavors of nectarine and mandarin blossoms that are carefully balanced before the medium-bodied wine ends with a clean and refreshing finish. Goes well with chicken, pork, creamy pasta, salmon or grilled fish.