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Intellego

2021

‘Elementis’

Chenin Blanc   |   Swartland - South Africa
Shelf Talker Spec Sheet Wine Label Bottle Image

About

“Elementis” is the Latin, all-encompassing word for the 4 natural elements: earth, air, fire and water. The label was done by a Swedish friend of Jurgen’s but under very ‘strict’ direction :). The bottle represents the region from where the grapes originate. The umbrella is the contrast as it reflects the style in which the wine is made – skin contact. Jurgen says, “A lot of people say that if you taste eight skin contact wines, they all taste the same. I think more people need to make wines in this style, so we can start to hone in on the differences.” The red of the hand symbolizes fire, the yellow water, the green umbrella earth and the blue air. ‘Elementis’ is Jurgen’s first attempt at producing a wine that was made in an all-natural style, determined entirely by the “forces of nature.” The vineyard block was planted in 1982 and is situated on an east-facing slope just west of Malmesbury that experiences cool afternoon breezes.

The dry-farmed grapes were hand-picked in mid-February, destemmed and fermented on the skins in open top stainless-steel tanks. After 14 days the lots are pressed with full lees to old 500L French barrels with a bit of battonage early on. After 10 months the barrels are blended to tank and settled. The wine was bottled without fining, filtration and with a very small addition of sulfur.

Stats

  • Grapes: 100% Chenin Blanc
  • Vineyard: Hillside Vineyard (southwest of Malmesbury)
  • Vine Age: 41-years-old
  • Soil Type: Sandy over oakleaf ferricrete
  • Viticulture: Practicing Organic – dry-farmed
  • Fermentation: Native – open top stainless-steel (100% destemmed - full skin contact)
  • Skin Contact: 14 days
  • Aging: 10 months in neutral 500L French barrels
  • Alcohol: 11.5%
  • Residual Sugar: 1.5 g/L
  • pH: 3.65
  • Total Acidity: 5.87 g/L
  • Total SO2: 29 ppm
  • Total Production: 167 cases

Tasting Note

An effusive and complex aroma of ginger, rooibos tea leaves, and orange. The palate is a delicate balance between roundness and linearity, with a gentle phenolic grip. Intriguing.

Press & Reviews

The WineMag

94

"From Chenin Blanc, fermented on the skins for 14 days. Wonderfully fragrant on the nose with notes of jasmine, potpourri, dried herbs, naartjie, orange, ginger and other spice. The palate is lean and taut with a pithy finish. It’s not, however, too thin with the wine having a nice suppleness to it."

- Christian Eedes
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Producer


Intellego

Region


Swartland

Country


South Africa

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