Road to Santiago Semillon 2014

By , 16 September 2015

Road to Santiago Semillon 2014

An epiphany.

Franschhoek old-vine Semillon makes for some impressive wines have Boekenhoutskloof and Landau du Val have proved often. Now Wynand Grobler of Rickety Bridge has made some wine under his own label using Landau du Val grapes and it’s outstanding.

From the famed 1905 vineyard, it includes some 10% Semillon Gris. Fermentation occurred spontaneously and maturation in old 225-litre barrels lasted nine months, total production a mere 840 bottles.

It shows lemon through orange, thatch, honey and some yeasty complexity. What is extraordinary about this wine, however, is its presence and length – remarkable fruit concentration, fresh acidity and a wonderfully pithy sensation on the finish. It’s not yet released but Grobler is contemplating a price north of R500 a bottle, perhaps more. Given that it’s a world-class wine off properly old vineyards, it would be unreasonable to pick this up for nothing at all…

Winemag rating: 95/100.

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