Alheit Vineyards - Monument Semillon 2021
Alheit Vineyard is located in Hemelrand , in the Walker Bay region of South Africa . The Estate was created in 2011 by Chris Alheit , who after starting out making pineapple beer under his bed as a child, studied viticulture in Stellenbosch where he met his wife Susan with whom he manages today the Domain. After their studies, the couple traveled to different wine-growing regions of the world (Napa Valley, Saint Emilion, Australia, Germany, etc.), which aroused respect and admiration for committed viticulture . They work on 21 hectares of vines in several regions as well as parcels of lavender and olive trees. The 8 parcels of vines are located in Skurfberg, Piekenierskloof, Paardeberg, Bottelary Hills, Tygerberg, Franschhoek, False Bay and Hemel & Aarde. They have a minimalist approach to wine making, and for them 99% of the work is done in the vineyard and 1% in the cellar.
Monument Sémillon is a cuvée from an old vineyard in Franschhoek, planted in 1936. The plot is located between 310 m and 350 meters above sea level, with mainly granite soil with lots of quartz. On this plot, the Sémillon grapes present different shades (from emerald green to amber, passing through pink and mauve), typical of the old Sémillon du Cap vineyards. These different shades of grapes are harvested together, the harvest is sorted and then pressed in whole bunches. The juice is very lightly decanted without additions. Fermentation is carried out in old barrels and lasts about 1 month. The wine is aged on the lees for approximately 18 months .
Grape variety: 100% Semillon
