5 in stock
54,89 €
5 in stock
Nautical Dawn is a single origin Chenin blanc wine. Since its maiden vintage in 2017 it has helped to showcase the raw talent of the False Bay coast of Stellenbosch – a vital part of the Cape Chenin story. The wine has quite an extreme nature and a strong personality. Even with early picking, this vineyard delivers huge flavour with intense concentration and ripping natural acid.
Vineyards
On Rustenhof farm in Firgrove (southern Stellenbosch) there’s a small granite hill called Sinai. The crown of the hill has a few small granite domes protruding from the soil. From up there you can see the waves breaking only 4kms away. The hillside is planted from top to bottom with dry farmed bushvine Chenin Blanc. Nautical Dawn is made from a parcel planted in 1978 on the upper part of the slope. The vine rows run with the contour of the hill. The granite soil is shallow and warms quickly, causing this to be one of our earliest picks of the season, despite the relentless South-East wind.
Winemaking and Maturation
The grapes were hand sorted and whole bunch pressed. The juice is very lightly settled (we like very cloudy raw juice) with no additions to the raw juice, wild fermentation took place in a 2000L Foudre and some old barrels of various sizes. Fermentation lasted for about two months. The wine was kept on lees for around 12 months, then rested in tank on fine lees without fining for a further six months prior to bottling. Very simple, careful winemaking.
Vintage Notes
As mentioned, this was a wet vintage for the False Bay area. I was very selective about what we could bottle from this vineyard to keep the high standard, especially after a long string of great vintages from this site. Because of this we have about half the normal volume, but the wine is lovely. The nose shows the classic tangy yellow fruit and soft spices, the palate is full and powerful with typical acidic drive and saline tension. The finish is long and ornate.
The Name
Nautical Dawn is the phase of dawn that occurs between astrological dawn and civilian dawn. It’s a mysterious time of day – dark enough to see the stars for navigation, light enough to hoist a sail. We wanted a name that would take you close to the sea and facing East.
Data Sheet:
https://alheitvineyards.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Nautical-Dawn-2023-Factsheet.pdf
