THE FLEDGE & CO VAGABOND 2017
| Grape: | Chenin Blanc (54%), Chardonnay (18%), Grenache Blanc (12%), Verdelho (8%), Viognier (4%) and Roussanne (4%) |
| Winery: | The Fledge & Co |
| Origin: | Western Cape, South Africa |
| ABV%: | 13.2% |
| Colour: | Medium yellow |
| Aromas: | Apple, lemon, lime and tropical fruits |
| Flavours: | Apple, lemon, lime, orange, pineapple, almond and white spice |
Winemaker's Comments:
Philosophy – Prudentia Sine Vino – an independently minded wine. A multi-varietal, multiregional, “old skool” barrel fermented & matured Cape white blend bottle unfined & unfiltered. An endeavour to showcase the diversity of the Cape in a single glass.
Vineyard – Combination of 14 low yielding prime vineyard sites scattered across the length & breadth of the Cape from the Swartland, Stellenbosch, Elgin, Tradouw & the edge of the Klein Karoo - combining a myriad of ancient soils, aspects & climes. Each site is hand harvested at dawn from mid-January to early March. A generous vintage akin to ‘15 despite the climatic chaos – super low winter rainfall, early spring, warm summer & relatively “normal” season – resulted in small clusters of fruit, great concentration & buxom wines.
Vinification – All fruit is crushed directly into small pneumatic press & allowed a few hours skin contact prior to gentle pressing, thereafter the juice was settled overnight prior to racking with a fair share of fine lees into old 400L French oak casks. Each climat is fermented separately, only neutral yeasts are used & long cool ferments of 3 ½ weeks plus are favoured. Post ferment the wines are racked with a portion of fine lees & sulphured up to avoid malo-lactic fermentation (MLF). Some of the barrels undergo MLF, some don’t and after 9 months the components are blended into a temperature controlled Inox tank with fine lees and allowed a further 4 months of tempering prior to bottling unfined & unfiltered. Only yeast & small amounts of sulphur are utilized.
Wine – A most expressive vintage – a melange of orange blossom, ripe cling peach, yellow, orange & green citrus, pineapple, hay, flirtations of Rooibos, almond meal & white spice abound on the bouquet. The palate is generous yet a tad unyielding & tightly wound with a satisfyingly lengthy. A perfect partner for roast fowl, duck or pork, traditional Cape Malay & mild Cantonese cuisine, firm fine fromage & charcuterie or enjoy as an aperitif. Serve lightly chilled & best decanted. Vagabond most definitely benefits from careful cellaring, as it allows the it slowly gain complexity, nuance & generosity.