Description

VINIFICATION | We have been vinifying this vineyard since 2006 and during the
last number of years we have invested much in improving it in terms of soil health and
interplanting. An interesting fact is that the younger vines in this vineyard ripen about
two weeks prior to the old vines, so we pick them first and they are still
vinified separately.
We do whole bunch pressing and after a brief settling we transfer the juice to old
foudres. In time the younger fraction will also be included in the final blend. Settling is
for about 12 hours during the two pressings and the turbid juice is transferred the next
morning. We allow for a slightly longer settling time for the Mev. Kirsten vineyard as
the fermentation can be quite reduced if too many impurities enter into the
fermentation stage.
AGEING | The wine is left in foudre on the fermentation lees for the entire first 12
months and we bottle from the lees. Two weeks prior to bottling we transfer the wine to
a blending tank and add around 50 mg/litre of sulphur for protection during bottling.
The wine normally settles to perfect clarity and can then be bottled unfiltered.
NOTES | The vineyard is in very good standing currently and this year we will
do the last interplanting of about 100 vines that we will root and re-graft next year.
Over the past 15 years the wine has gained elegance carried by immense texture,
density and power. Of all the singular sites we currently work with, this site is the only
one that has the capacity to produce a wine of such volume and weight without any
excessive notions. The texture and length of the wine just call everything to perfect
discipline. We urge clients to give this wine the benefit of time in the bottle.
The 2024 Mev. Kirsten starts in the glass with some fuller, exotic tropical fruits and
spicy herbal aspects. Only after some time in the glass do the greener apple and olive
characters start showing, and the wine becomes a complex cocktail of two dynamics,
namely weight and power, but swift at the same time. The acidity in this 2024 vintage is
fresher than usual, and it is an absolute textbook vintage for this vineyard.
Decantation helps but can never replace the actual effect of time.