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Mother Rock

2023

‘The Building Blocks’

Red Blend   |   Piket-Bo-Berg - South Africa
Shelf Talker Spec Sheet Wine Label Bottle Image

About

‘The Building Blocks’ is the first red wine produced from the incredible Platteklip Vineyard at the top of the Piketberg Mountain in northern Swartland. The grapes are planted in Table Mountain Sandstone soils at the top of the wind-swept mountain overlooking the Atlantic ocean, Table Mountain, and the Paardeberg from 2,000 feet above sea level. It is here where Stompie & Anri have built their home estate over the last 5+ years, and we are finally seeing the first wine made with Platteklip fruit here. The 2023 vintage had good winter rains, bringing a late bud burst and flowering, cool spring, and mild summer. After what was a very wet December for Platteklip standards, January and February was dry with lots of southwestern winds, helping to keep the grapes healthy and free of mildew. This gave an even, slow ripening before a mid-February harvest. The remarkable part about this wine is the fact that the fruit comes from just 4-year-old vines. There is magic in old vines, but there is an energy and depth to this wine that proves there’s also magic in youth.

The grapes were hand-harvested and sent to concrete tanks to ferment spontaneously as 50% whole bunches. After 16 days, the wine was pressed off the skins and sent to old French oak for 22 months of aging. It was then blended and bottled with just a dash of sulfur. No fining or filtering.

Stats

  • Grapes: 50% Grenache - 35% Pinot Noir - 15% Mourvèdre
  • Vineyard: Platteklip
  • Vine Age: 4-years-old
  • Soil Type: Table Mountain Sandstone
  • Viticulture: Certified organic – practicing biodynamic – dry-farmed
  • Fermentation: Native — concrete (50% whole cluster)
  • Skin Contact: 16 days
  • Aging: 22 months in neutral French oak
  • Alcohol: 13.5%
  • pH: 3.4
  • Total Acidity: 5.9 g/L
  • Total SO2: 34 ppm
  • Total Production: 180 cases

Tasting Notes

This wine is super fresh but with an impressive depth for such young vines. The nose is redolent of black cherries and spiced jam, while the palate shows red fruits and thyme. Beautiful, vibrant, and refreshing. An incredible showing of the first wine ever to be produced by such young vines.

Press & Reviews

The WineMag

94

"53% Grenache, 31% Pinot Noir, 16% Mourvèdre. Mostly whole-bunch fermented. Red and black berries, musk and herbs on the nose. The palate is medium bodied with excellent clarity of fruit, lemon-like acidity and tightly packed tannins, the finish wonderfully dry."

- Christian Eedes

Producer


Mother Rock

Region


Piket-Bo-Berg

Country


South Africa

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