2021 Waterkloof Circumstance Chenin Blanc
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Waterkloof - Giannikos Winery
Founded by the Frenchman Paul Boutinot, Waterkloof is located in the 'ward' Helderberg, within the Stellenbosch district. The vineyards are located a few kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean. Paul and his right-hand man, Christiaan Loots, work in an organic and biodynamic way and the vineyards are only entered with horses, no tractors. In just a few years, Waterkloof has built up a strong reputation. When you enter the farm you will see the cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens and horses that we use for their manure, weed control and many other purposes. The soils are free of chemicals and are kept healthy by using plant extracts, fungi and bacteria from our own natural compost. By healthier soils we mean vines with roots that dig deeper than 5 meters, which really expresses the terroir.
These traditional methods, combined with a breezy southwest vineyard, make for a balanced and naturally low yielding vine that produces intense flavours. The vineyards are located about 5 kilometers from the sea and are planted at an altitude between 270 and 300 meters above sea level. The soils are of sandstone origin with medium sized stones, which aid in drainage and also moisture retention. The vineyards are on average 21 years old.
The winemaking philosophy is the same for all of Waterkloof's premium white wines. They follow a traditional, minimalistic approach, which means we interfere with the winemaking process as little as possible. This allows the flavors prevalent in that particular vineyard to be reflected in the wine. To achieve this, all grapes are harvested for taste, hand-picked, hand-sorted and finally pressed whole bunch in a modern press, so that they can extract the purest juice in the gentlest possible way. The juice is then naturally settled for 24 hours. Because no chemicals are sprayed into the vineyard, the wild yeast can be used to ferment the juice in used 600 liter oak barrels. This leads to a longer fermentation process with a slow release of aromas and a more textured palate. The natural fermentation process took 6 months, after which the wine is allowed to mature for another 2-4 months. No acid or enzymes are added during the winemaking process, with just light filtration and a small minimalistic addition of sulfur as a preservative prior to bottling.
Giannikos Winery bezit 8 ha wijnstokken op twee locaties, één in Korinthe rond de wijnmakerij en de andere in Mycene, nabij de beroemde archeologische vindplaats en geboorteplaats van de Griekse wijnbouw bijna 4000 jaar geleden. Beide wijngaarden worden strikt biologisch geteeld omdat men ervan overtuigd is dat alleen natuurlijk geteelde wijnstokken gezonde druiven kunnen produceren die de basis vormen van hun kwaliteitswijnen. Een ander belangrijk aspect is de invloed van de zee op het microklimaat. De verkoelende winden zorgen samen met de mediterrane zon en de bodem voor de beste omstandigheden en zijn de redenen dat Giannikos Winery internationaal inmiddels al zeer gewild en bekend is maar gezien de kleine productie.
Griekenland heeft een rijk erfgoed van inheemse druivensoorten en bij Giannikos Winery heeft men als filosofie om de traditie en nieuwe technologie te verenigen. Daarom teelt men biologisch en oogsten en snoeien men zorgvuldig met de hand. In de wijnmakerij gebruiken ze moderne stalen tanks, ultramoderne machines en Franse eiken vaten van geselecteerde fabrikanten.