Benguela Cove Catalina Semillon 2022

Benguela Cove Catalina Semillon 2022

Winemaking

Made from a 0.9-hectare single vineyard that performs extremely well every year and that communicates the purity of fruit and the longevity of the wine it produces. Grapes were hand-picked in the cool morning and sorted in the cellar. De-stemming and crushing were followed by two hours of skin contact. The juice was settled for 24 hours, racked, and inoculated with a selected yeast strain. The wine was barrel fermented and matured for ten months to add texture and complexity. Oak maturation: 10 months. Barrel: 50% new 500L French oak

Tasting Notes

The 2022 vintage presents a softer texture than its predecessors while maintaining ethereal elegance. It reveals complex aromas of gooseberry, passion fruit, orange blossom, and vanilla pods balanced by a hint of flinty gun smoke. The palate is vibrant with yellow plum, quince, and shortbread biscuit flavors, finishing with a steely, saline-like aftertaste. This wine’s tension and intensity promise evolving complexities of toasty notes and honeyed texture with age.

Analysis

Alcohol: 14.0 %
Residual Sugar: 2.4 g/l
Total Acidity: 6.7 g/l
pH: 3.22
Wine of Origin: Walker Bay

Personality

“More and more I find myself intrigued by this grape varietal, the wine’s ability to age and how it benefits from time in bottle. All the fine characteristics will be defined with age. It can be enjoyed young or be loved for a more rich and creamy palate as it ages. Looking at the 2022 now just prior to release it shows what is typical of the grape and worlds’ benchmark Semillons’; shy at youth (nervous we call it) but patience will be rewarded as bottle maturation will add bouquet, depth and complexity in years to come.” Ageing will help this wine come to life in the next five plus years. Recognised by great structure and tension in its youth, the 2022 will be a show stopper if you have the patience to cellar your wine. Catalina is a flag bearer for the estate, the result of taking a leap of faith and being rewarded deliciously.