Tokara, Directors Reserve White 2023

Description

The award-winning Directors Reserve range of wines focuses on Bordeaux-style blends. Handpicked from a single vineyard, it’s an elegant and layered range. It includes a barrel fermented white blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon and a classic Bordeaux-style red blend. Only the very best and most expressive parcels are used to create these iconic blends.

ORIGIN
This is a blend of 73% Sauvignon Blanc and 27% Semillon. It was made from grapes grown on the highest slopes of Tokara’s Stellenbosch property.

SOILS
The soils are Oakleaf formed from decomposed granite with colluvial sandstone. With a high fraction of gravel and friable granite.

SLOPES
South and South-West aspects ranging from 360 to 540 meters above sea level.

CROPPING AND HARVESTING
The vines cropped between 6 and 8 tons per hectare. The grapes were hand-picked at optimal flavour ripeness (at sugars between 22.3 and 23.5 brix and acidities of 6 g/l to 8.5 g/l).

WINEMAKING
The grapes were de-stemmed and crushed and pressed immediately in our inert press. The press juice and free run juice were kept separate and settled overnight, before the clean juice was racked off. Only the free run juice from the best blocks is used in this wine. The juice was then inoculated and moved to 400L barrels for fermentation. All the barrels used are French oak of which 31% is new. After fermentation the barrels were topped and left on the lees for 9 months with regular lees stirring. The wine was blended in November, stabilised, filtered and bottled soon after. The wine spent a total of 10 months in barrel.

TASTING NOTES
This wine displays a pale straw colour with light catching brilliance. The nose is complex, exhibiting attractive aromas of green guava and blackcurrant intermingled with hints of pink grapefruit and marzipan biscotti. On the palate the wine enters full and rich, reminiscent of the aromas on the nose. It
has amazing clarity and depth with a zesty persistence. Currently drinking exceptionally well but will continue to develop positively with correct cellaring.

Food pairing: Best served with saffron infused creamy seafood dishes or pan seared scallop with a burnt butter and stewed apricot infused mousse.

ANALYSIS
Alc. Vol% – 14.0%
Residual Sugar – 2.4 g/L
Total Acidity – 6.4 g/L
p H – 3.32

Additional information

Best served with saffron infused creamy seafood dishes or pan seared scallop with a burnt butter and stewed apricot infused mousse.