- Analysis
- Vineyards
- Vinification and Aging
- Tasting Notes
- 2013 Vintage Notes
2013 Koggelbos Chenin Blanc
Wine of Origin
Swartland
Varietals
100% Chenin Blanc
Analysis
Wine Maker: Johan Meyer
Alcohol: 13%
Total Acidity: 6.0 g/l
pH: 3.43
Residual Sugar: 3.4 g/l
Total Production: 500 cases
The grapes for Mount Abora wines are sourced from reputable sites in the Swartland. The soils are deep shale and schist and the vines are farmed essentially as dryland vineyards with supplementary irrigation to counter the extreme hot and dry conditions just before ripening. The vines are mostly planted on south and west facing slopes to optimize the benefit of cooler spots.
Mount Abora makes natural wines, using zero commercial yeast and no other modern winemaking preparations. We harvest our grapes earlier at no more than 23.5° Balling to not only ensure lower alcohol levels, but to retain the brightness and life of our carefully tended grapes as they transform into the wines. We liberally use whole bunch fermentation on red and white wines, and allow post fermentation hot maceration on skins and stalks.
Koggelbos is an oxidative style wine made from two parcels of low-yielding Swartland vines, aged between 37 and 47 years old: Paardeberg – decomposed granite soil; Malmesbury – shale soil. Winemaker Johan Meyer transforms the grapes from these gnarled, dryland bush vines into an authentic and individualistic expression of grape and place. The grapes were pressed as whole bunches and fermented naturally in older 300 litres French oak barrels. The wine was kept on the lees for six months and stirred regularly to enhance the mouthfeel and foster a sustained palate experience. The wine matured for another nine months in the same barrels before bottling.
The 2013 Mount Abora Chenin Blanc is a totally unfined and unfiltered, oxidative style of Chenin Blanc. Lemon yellow, and a touch hazy in the glass, it leads off with large amounts of tree fruit and citrus aromatics. Yellow pear, baked golden apples, and honey on the nose transform into an exotic middle eastern spice note with hints of marzipan and lemon curd. The bright acidity is kept in balance by the richness and texture of the wine stemming from the amount of time kept on the lees. This wine is absolutely stellar with decadent styles of shellfish, specifically seared sea scallops or broiled lobster.
2013 had a perfect run up towards harvest with a really cold and extremely wet winter compared to the previous 2 years which were dry and produced tiny crops. Weather played along perfectly and although December was really hot there was enough water in the soil to satisfy the vines and harvest came about 2-3 weeks later than normal. Temperatures at harvest also stayed surprisingly moderate without the usual spikes we often get in the Swartland. We were able to pick at lower sugars levels and resulting wines are really generous and have great concentration and balance despite the crop being much bigger.