Mirra Semillon 2021 Case
R2184,00
Complex aromatics with delicate notes of white peach, green apple, green nettles, and cut grass underpinned by a fabulous slatey minerality. Palate is bright and crystalline, tart and fresh with a lemon / lime acidity, and a racy palate of lime peel and lemon grass.
100% Semillon
W.O. Elgin
Elgin Vintners, established in 2003, farms 45 hectares of vineyards in the cool-climate Elgin Valley. Our main cultivars are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. We also have Merlot and Syrah. We practise sustainability in business, vineyards, and our people. Critics have awarded our wines top global accolades. Elgin Vintners crafts wines of exceptional poise, finesse, and elegance.
Elgin is South Africa’s coolest wine region. Cooler climates keep grape clusters connected to their roots for longer. They develop more characteristics and achieve physiological ripeness more gradually with lower sugar levels and consequently lower alcohols. The resultant wines leave one with an impression of delicacy, but also power and insistence over warmer-climate examples, which show bolder but less persistent flavours.
Elgin vineyards sit at 305 m, the fourth highest in South Africa. The cold Atlantic lies close; this has a profound influence on day/night temperatures and prevailing south-easterly winds. The South-Easter can bring a cooling respite to the vineyards but can also carry extensive cloud cover, which the mountains trap and push back over the region. This blocks out sunlight, reduces temperatures and slows the ripening of the grapes. In extreme cases, about four or five times yearly, the wind is strong enough and the clouds thick enough to enable precipitation known locally as a Black South-Easter. This dumps quite large amounts of rain throughout the day.
On calmer, warmer days, the rising warm air over the land draws in cool coastal breezes from the sea. This reduces the temperature very quickly in the afternoon and into the night and helps maintain the acid levels in the grapes. By slowing ripening on the vine, this extended cool period produces naturally balanced grapes with complex, powerful flavours.
Semillon is easy to grow and can effortlessly produce about 15–20 tons of grapes per hectare. Our Semillon vineyard, GD1 clone, covers only 0.5 hectares and produces 4.5 tons. This vineyard has Single Vineyard status. Semillon thrives in climates with sunny days and cool nights, which is why we believe Elgin Valley can make stellar Semillon.
This Semillon was vinified in a 500 L amphora clay pot and in a 300 L French oak barrel. One-third of the amphora was filled with whole berries, then topped with pressed and settled juice. The barrel was filled with juice. The wine fermented naturally, with only yeast hulls added to aid as yeast nutrition. The yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN) was very high in the grapes, so no additional organic nitrogen was needed to help the yeast with fermentation. After fermentation, we left the wine on the skins in the amphora for three months, then removed the skins by hand. We sulfured the wine and let it mature for six more months prior to bottling.
Enjoy a glass of MIRRA with chicken, turkey, pork, and foie gras. This wine also goes well with all sorts of fish dishes, Asian foods, and sushi. Or as a vegetarian option, spicy roasted vegetables and salads with citrus dressings will be fantastic.
Alcohol: 12.5% Residual Sugar: 2.0 Total Acid: 6.3 pH: 3.33
