Spioenkop Riesling 2019

Belgian-family-owned Spioenkop’s vineyards and cellar, nestled in the heart of the Elgin Valley, is named for the Anglo-Boer War hilltop battleground. The estate was established in 2008 with Koen Roose as winemaker. The valley is almost crater like, surrounded by a craggy fringe of mountains and the vineyard is on a plateau where nowhere is below 200m above sea level. Temperatures here are about three degrees lower, as an average, than surrounding areas, and the valley often funnels cooling sea breezes from the Atlantic a few kilometres away. The geography and the climate mean that rainwater is retained in the clay soils mixed with iron-rich ferricreet cobbles and shales, and it is in these nutrient poor soils that the vines are planted at a high density to help with the control of yields.
Terroir expression is paramount in the Spioenkop range; the range highlights estate-grown pinotage, riesling and chenin. There is a minimalist approach in the cellar and no irrigation in the vineyards. Spioenkop produces wines that have finesse, balance, and purity, with the idiosyncratic character of the winemaker flowing through every bottle.