‘I am the Ninja’

Méthode Ancestrale | Swartland - South Africa

Shelf Talker Spec Sheet Wine Label Bottle Image

About

‘I am the Ninja’ is Testalonga’s latest addition to the portfolio. Craig & Carla love Méthode Ancestral wines and the texture they bring. They wanted this wine to be drier than the “I wish I was a Ninja” as they feel Chenin has more depth when it is drier. The fruit comes from a 64-year-old sandstone vineyard on the Piketberg Mountain. As for the label, the photo was taken by their friend Martin Shambrock in London of his neighbor’s dog, Layla. They love the photo and think it suits this wine perfectly; it is serious but playful at the same time.

The grapes were harvested by hand and cold fermented in stainless steel tanks. During fermentation, the wine was racked plenty to remove sediment. After two months and when the wine still had 30 g/L residual sugar, it was bottled under a crown cap to complete fermentation and build natural carbonation. After 11 months, the bottles were riddled and disgorged in October 2023, topped off with the same wine from decanted bottles, and sealed again with a crown cap. No SO2 was added, and the wine saw no settling or fining agents throughout the process.

Stats

Grapes: 100% Chenin Blanc
Vineyard: Moutonshoek (Piketberg)
Vine Age: 64-years-old
Soil Type: Sandstone
Viticulture: Practicing organic
Fermentation: Native — stainless-steel
Skin Contact: None
Aging: Aged in tank for 2 months then bottle for 11 months on lees before disgorgement
Alcohol: 10.5%
Residual Sugar: 12 g/L
pH: 3.1
Total Acidity: 9.5 g/L
Total SO2: None added
Total Production: 1250 cases
UPC: 7070334498197

Tasting Notes

Bright, fresh, and fun. It has hints of pear, lemon, and sage, with bouncy bubbles and a touch of RS. It finishes quite dry, pulling you back for another sip.

Select a wine

Select another wine

2023

‘I am the Ninja’

About

Stats

Tasting Notes

Past Vintages

Producer

Region

Country

Have a question or want to drop a line?