‘I am the Ninja’

Méthode Ancestrale | Swartland - South Africa

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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 63-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 fermented in stainless steel tanks. During fermentation, the wine was racked plenty to remove sediment. After two months, it was bottled under a crown cap to complete fermentation and build natural carbonation. After 10 months, the bottles were riddled and disgorged on October 5, 2022, 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: 63-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 10 months on lees before disgorgement
Alcohol: 9.5%
Residual Sugar: 19 g/L
pH: 3.19
Total Acidity: 6.9 g/L
Total SO2: None added
Total Production: 1250 cases

Tasting Notes

This opens with a delicate, creamy fizz that gives way to bright, super-fresh notes of green apple and crisp white pear. Light on the palate yet bursting with vibrant fruit, it’s a refreshing sip that feels both invigorating and smooth.

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2022

‘I am the Ninja’

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