The Tea Leaf

6009900252438

Simply cooked fish dishes, scallops, salt and pepper squid or fishcakes, light seafood pastas, risotto, rich salads and sushi.

A complex sandy stone fruit nose with notes of crushed granite, slightly saline and wait... is that rooibos I can smell?! The palate has firm, high-key fruit, a broad texture and quiet persistence that persists and persists. Ultimately this is a deeply satisfying wine made from a blend of Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc and Palomino grapes, grown on ancient vines in Piekenierskloof. This region allows the genuinely unique terroir feel and character to shine through.

Vineyards high above the valley floor on the Western Cape escarpment are home to old blocks of Chenin, Palomino and younger Grenache Blanc vines. In all these blocks, the indigenous rooibos tea plant grows wild. Grapes are harvested in the early hours and then a further selection is made by hand at the winery to select the best fruit. The wine is naturally fermented in old wooden barrels and steel, portions of which take up to ten months to complete. Finally, the wine is gently racked and bottled in South Africa.