Grape Varieties

• Chardonnay 100%

Winemaker Comments

The 2017 harvest was a tough vintage, a compressed vintage where early ripening varieties and mid-season varieties ripened at the same time. We started the vintage on the 26th of January and finished picking by the 4th of March. With the threat of drought but hot days a reality South African yields were down and will continue to decline. Luckily for Seven Springs we have springs in the mountains, but not much could be done for those incredibly hot days during the ripening season. 2017 also so a massive fire season for South Africa with many vineyards under threat of being burned down and some even sustained real damage. Lucky for us, we had no major fires in the Hemel-en-Aarde region. Our Chardonnay vines are now 10 years old and the fruit produced is showing the maturity. This wine was barrel fermented in 300L older French oak barrels; naturally occurring yeasts on the skin of the grapes kicked off the fermentation process, but a selected yeast was used halfway through vinification to ensure the desired flavours were produced and that all the sugars were converted to alcohol and the wine is “dry”. The wine then matured in those very same barrels for 11 months.

Grape Varieties

• Pinot Noir 100%

Winemaker Comments

The start of the growing season was cool, with a quite a few overcast days and regular showers. None of the customary gale force winds prevailed early in the season and the grapevines were able to flourish, but the south easter wind was out in force throughout December. Hardly any rain was recorded from mid-November, and with unrelenting heat from January onwards, producers were challenged by particularly tricky irrigation management. The ripening period was dry and warm making it a bit more condensed for us

Press & Reviews

• International Wine Challenge (IWC) Bronze
• Platters South African Wine Guide 4*

Grape Varieties

• Sauvignon Blanc 100%

Press & Reviews

• Platters Wine Guide 4.5*

Grape Varieties

• Syrah 100%

Winemaker Comments

This is the vintage we’ve been waiting for. In the Overberg, especially the Hermanus area was a superb year for all varietals. Across South Africa it was equally great, but more for white varietals. This is the vintage you want to stock your wine cellar with. The 2016 season was preceded by an exceptionally dry year in 2015, which, we learned with hind-sight was to be the first year of the Western Cape’s three-year drought. The vines were resilient, though yields were down 15% on the previous vintage, with no notable heat-waves experienced until some weeks after harvesting our Syrah. Being so high up on the Hemel en Aarde Road means we tend to avert the worst of the heat and rainfall remains fairly consistent, even in ‘dry’ years. Vinification The Syrah was fermented in stainless steel tanks for about 2 weeks. Pump-overs, to aerate the wine and supply oxygen to the yeast, were done twice daily until the wine was finished with alcoholic fermentation. The wine was then moved to 2nd and 3rd fill, French oak barrels and the wine was left to mature for 15 months. There was a portion of the fruit harvested that was fermented separately and post alcoholic fermentation it was left on the skins for a few days, ‘extended skin contact’, after which it was pressed and put into barrel to age separate from the other Syrah lots. Blending of the different barrel lots was done later in early 2017.

Press & Reviews

• Platter Guide 4*

Grape Varieties

• Chardonnay 100%

Winemaker Comments

Harvest Report 2017 was a tough vintage, a compressed vintage where early ripening varieties and mid-season varieties ripened at the same time. We started vintage on the 26th of January and was done picking by the 4th of March. With the threat of drought but hot days a reality South African yields were down and will continue to decline. Luckily for Seven Springs we have springs in the mountains, but not much could be done for those incredibly hot days during the ripening season. 2017 was also a massive fire season for South Africa with many vineyards under threat of being burned down and some even sustained real damage. Lucky for us, we had no major fires in the Hemel-en-Aarde region. Tasting Notes True to our style the Unoaked Chardonnay remains a light wine with clean lines and pure fruit flavours with a typical Overberg minerality. As an un-oaked Chardonnay this is an aromatic wine, showing floral notes of frangipani, sweet allysum, orange blossoms and even a hint of orange sponge cake. A dynamic palette with a Bramley apple acidity and wet pebble minerality. Being a lighter wine it is easily enjoyed as a sundowner, but pairing it with food is a breeze. Serving it at 10°C and with ceviche or sushi is a real winner. It also doesn’t shy away from lightly spicy dishes or soups and it goes great with a chicken salad and a main fish dish. Technical Analysis Alcohol: 12.43% Residual Sugar: 2.6 g/l Total Acidity: 6.9 g/l pH: 3.21 Harvested by hand 9th February 2017 Bottled: 29th July 2017 Ageing potential: 6 years Production: 6,00 bottles (750ml)

Grape Varieties

• Syrah 100%

Winemaker Comments

Harvesting The grapes were picked on the 28th February, late in the afternoon, with the first selection of bunches being conducted in the vineyards (any unripe, rotten or bird-damaged bunches were cut and dropped on the floor). Once the 20kg picking cases reached the cellar (1km away) they were loaded directly into the cooling room and brought down to about 12⁰C. The grapes were then sent along a sorting table, to remove anything that may have been missed by the vineyard pickers. Vinification From here, the grapes were crushed and sent directly into the press where the juice was drained immediately, in order to obtain the ideal depth of colour. Once happy with the colour, the grapes were pressed and the juice was pumped to a settling tank. The following day, the clear juice was racked from the gross-lees into another stainless-steel tank, where the juice was allowed to warm up slowly. A few days later, a spontaneous fermentation kicked in. Fermentation took about 18 days to be completed, with the wine being inoculated with yeast towards the end of the process, just to finish off any residual Fructose. Tasting Notes Deep, Pomegranate-Pink colour, with a hint of Turkish-delight on the nose. Water melon and raspberry fruit flavours initially set the tone, backed up with a medium-bodied, textured mid-palate. This eventually gives way to a dry-as-a-bone, long, lingering finish with an uplifting freshness at the end. A slightly fuller wine with a textured palate. This wine will pair easily with smoked fish, charcuterie, biltong and the like. The mid-palate certainly has more weight than many other rose’s but that is what makes this such an awesome braai wine. Something to wash away the dust and the heat of the early afternoon! Also great with scrambled eggs and bacon, for those who cannot wait for lunchtime!!