Black Elephant Vintners The Dark Side Of The Vine

The grapes are hand-picked at a single winery in the Franschhoek Valley. The next day, they are destemmed without crushing the berries and are left to macerate on the skins for 24 hours before pressing. The press juice is settled overnight in a tank, and the clear must is transferred for fermentation into old 500-liter French oak barrels. After the must has naturally fermented for six weeks, bâtonnage is performed once a week to add fullness to the wine. Before bottling, the wine spends twelve months in the barrel.

This wine displays a wonderfully intense aromatic nose with sensational lemon and lime zest. Waves of lemon confit, fresh peach juice, dried herbs, walnut husk, nutmeg, mandarin peel, wet stone, and dry straw nuances unfold. The palate is beautifully round and fleshy, almost silky, yet framed by deliciously penetrating, flavorful acidity. Extremely concentrated and robust, yet profoundly sensual and textured, the wine impresses in the finish with pure white citrus notes, black currant leaves, and a hint of yellow tropical fruit candies. It can age for up to ten years.