Brookdale Estate Sixteen Field Blend

Description

VINTAGE CHARACTERISTICS
The 2023 season will be remembered for the dry and warmer winter; generally good growing conditions during the vegetative growth
phase, good rain shortly before véraison which benefitted quality, and a cool and wet ripening period which gave grapes a chance to ripen optimally at a slower rate. Cooler conditions slowed the ripening of grapes, but the harvest commenced at the usual time in early February. Excellent flavour, as well as colour profiles, were observed.

WINEMAKING
A celebration of the lost art of field-blend winemaking; 16 white varietals were inter-planted as bush vines on decomposed shale and granite. The grapes were picked at three different stages due to the variability of the grapes. The fruit was pre-cooled and whole-bunch pressed before spontaneous fermentation and 100% malolactic fermentation. The wine was fermented and aged in concrete eggs and clay amphorae for one year on the lees prior to bottling and then spent a further four months in bottle before release.

WHITE FIELD BLEND
The Sixteen is comprised of 16 varietals, interplanted as bush vines without rhyme or reason. We wanted to explore the naturally occurring microclimates and profile of a wine that is a true South African field blend, as nature might have intended if she were a winemaker.

By doing so, we have recaptured the lost art of field blend winemaking. A wine of character, intrigue, and incredible flavour, this wine is a perfect evolution for the Brookdale Estate Wine Range.