Description
The nose shows floral perfume, pear and peach, plus a little spice, while the palate is medium-bodied with bright acidity and a savoury finish. There’s a lovely succulence about it, and while very tempting now, it should be drinking even better in 12 months. 95/100 Christian Eedes WineMag.co.za
The Foundry Grenache Blanc 2020 has lifted floral aromas with hints of lemon cream and white stone fruit. The palate is rich but restrained with focused, pure fruit, minerally mid-palate with characteristic-rich, fleshy mouthfeel and texture, and a long finish with a citrus tang.
The Foundry Harvest report 2020
“We finally moved into our own cellar on James Reid’s farm in the Voor Paardeberg. It was quite a rush to get everything finished and cleaned, ready for the 2020 grapes. There were some teething problems as we had to replace the cooling system totally, but once that was in, things proceeded very well.
I have vinified quite a few experimental batches this year, using different varieties, fermentation techniques, oak types and clay vessels. 2020 was, I felt, much more promising than 2019 – the drought was truly broken, and the vines looked much better this year. The fruit was cleaner, more evenly ripe and with more delineated, pronounced flavours and bright acidity.
Of course, the big story of 2020 has been Covid 19 and the subsequent lockdown. I managed to get all my wines off skins and into barrels and amphora in the nick of time by the Thursday before lockdown. The wines are now finishing ferment or proceeding with malolactic fermentation as we speak. When we reopen the cellar after Easter, it’s going to be exciting to see what emerges.” Chris Williams
VITICULTURE
These grapes are sourced from our neighbour’s vineyard at The Foundry’s home farm in Voor Paardeberg and managed by Chris Williams. Grown on Malmesbury shale and decomposed granite, these trellised vines allow us to precisely manage the canopy to enhance fruit, complexity and balance. A very limited crop due to the drought, leading to a concentration of flavour and intensity.
VINIFICATION
Hand-harvested and cooled overnight, this was whole-bunch pressed to restrain phenolics yet was fermented with a high percentage of solids to give breadth and definition to the palate. Fermented in seasoned tight grain French Oak Allier hogsheads, partial un-inoculated fermentation has given the palate a savoury dimension, but the fruit is still vividly expressed. 30% of the wine completed fermentation in 1000 litre terracotta clay doliums preserving the crystalline purity and minerality of the wine before bottling after 8 months elevage
Alcohol 14.1 %
Total Acid 5.4 g/l
pH 3.37
RS 1.55 g/l
