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Deep Rooted Wines

2022

‘Touch Me’

Verdelho   |   Walker Bay - South Africa
Shelf Talker Spec Sheet Wine Label Bottle Image

About

The rather evocative name and naughty label for this seductively soft and delicious wine is not chosen just for thrills. Mark wants the drinker to experience this wine through multiple senses. We often focus on smell and taste as the main organoleptic markers of a wine, but this wine proves that texture should not be overlooked. Mark wants you to “touch” this wine, noting the gentle phenolic grip that lends presence while a waxy layer coats your tongue and lingers almost indefinitely. 2022 saw a massive shift in style as the vineyard did not deliver the acidity it had in previous years. Shifting from skin contact to carbonic maceration was a bold and daring move that payed off hugely!

The Verdelho grapes were harvested from a single vineyard in Bot River. The whole clusters were loaded into a single 400L barrel and were left to ferment via carbonic maceration with native yeast. When fermentation was complete, the wine was pressed off the skins and it went back to barrel for 10 months of aging. At that point, it was racked to tank and bottled without filtering or any sulfur addition.

Stats

  • Grapes: 100% Verdelho
  • Vineyard: Arcangeli (Bot River)
  • Vine Age: 18-years-old
  • Soil Type: Koffieklip
  • Viticulture: Sustainable
  • Fermentation: Native yeast – a single, old 400L barrel (carbonic)
  • Skin Contact: Carbonic maceration for about one week
  • Aging: 10 months in a single, old 400L barrel
  • Alcohol: 12.5%
  • Residual Sugar: 1.2 g/L
  • pH: 3.29
  • Total Acidity: 6 g/L
  • Total SO2: None added
  • Total Production: 38 cases
  • UPC: None

Tasting Notes

Notes of pear, peach potpourri and dried herbs give way to a round, zingy mouth with tongue-coating tannins. Dried apricots linger in the mouth. Very expressive and tactile.

Press & Reviews

Tim Atkin, MW

92

"The nipple label might raise a few eyebrows, but this pure Verdelho from Bot River is much more than a gimmick. Made with the carbonic maceration technique, it's a brooding white showing flavours of quince, blood orange and nutmeg and some skin tannin phenolics. 2023-25"

- Tim Atkin, MW

The WineMag

93

"Grapes from Bot River. Made using carbonic maceration, skin contact lasting 12 days. Evocative aromatics of pear, peach, citrus, potpourri, dried herbs and spice. The palate is not massive, but fruit expression is pleasing, the acidity fresh, the texture lightly grippy, the finish super-dry. Alc: 12.5%."

- Christian Eedes

Platter's Guide

90

"Inspired if idiosyncratic expression of Portugal’s verdelho, given partial carbonic ferment/11 months in old barrels. 2022 boasts variety’s crunchy green apple & racy acid with nutty aromas & flavours & pithy apple grip. No 2021."

- Cathy van Zyl
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Producer


Deep Rooted Wines

Region


Walker Bay

Country


South Africa

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