Cape Mentelle - Products

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2016 Semillon

“A nod to a great Australian tradition, the exclusive 2016 Cape Mentelle Sémillon elevates our most intense and varietal small block to the highest ageing potential.”

Drawing inspiration from great Australian semillon, Cape Mentelle aims to honour this heritage with a rich and complex wine showcasing the intensity, focus and uniqueness of this often under-appreciated variety. Semillon performs exceptionally well in Margaret River and is a standout white variety that is typically blended with sauvignon to make the region’s signature sauvignon blanc semillon and semillon sauvignon blanc wines.

Appearance

Bright and translucent with white gold hues and great viscosity.

Nose

The nose is intense and varietal, full of bergamot, marzipan, white pepper and essential oils intermingled with exuberant wisteria flower notes.

Palate

The palate is fresh, linear and mineral while displaying a uniquely rich texture with notes of citrus, white nectarine, biscotti and cashew butter. The feeling is bold and intense and will gain further complexity with cellaring. The ageing potential of this wine is obvious, particularly in the long, fresh and spicy finish strongly supported by oak.

Blend

100% semillon

Cellaring

Drink through many years to enjoy the evolution to at least 20 years

Food Pairing Notes

This semillon will perfectly suit decadent dishes such as foie gras, scallops in cream sauce, corn fed chicken with morels or salted caramel desserts. Also an obvious match for cheese platters.

Show Technical Notes and Reviews

The Vineyard

The fruit comes exclusively from the two tiny south-facing blocks 4 and 7 of the Chapman Brook vineyard, the most southern and inland of our properties. The typical soils of these vineyards are geologically ancient, free draining sandy loams with a high percentage of lateritic gravel. The vines are vertically trained, spurpruned and canopy manipulations are repeated throughout the season to allow good air flow and bright sunlight on the fruit.

Winemaking

Early in the ripening season, the semillon from blocks 4 and 7 showed intense varietal characters, mostly white peppercorns and an exceptionally oily texture. The fruit was machine-picked in the coldest hours of the morning to allow for a maximum of skin contact before pressing. The juice was fermented in 100% new French oak barrels and stayed in the same barrels undisturbed, unsulphured and on lees all the way to the bottling in January 2017. This wine is meant for ageing and will reward patience with a different personality expressing itself every few months.

Analysis

12.5% alcohol, 7.1 g/l total acidity, 3.13 pH

Wine Companion

James Halliday

From the far south of Margaret River, fermented and matured in French oak giving it a luminous green-straw colour. It is every bit as complex as its vinification could give, filling the mouth with strands of flavours ranging from lemon to honey. But it's the power of the crunchy acidity on the finish that gives this wine its passport with unlimited rights of re-entry.

2016 Semillon

Wine Companion

James Halliday

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