2018 DAMASCENE Semillon Franschhoek, Lea & Sandeman

DAMASCENE

2018 Semillon Franschhoek

Grapes Sémillon
Colour White
Origin South Africa
Other Practising Organic
Village Stellenbosch
ABV 14%

As soon as you put your nose into the glass you get an amazing note of freshly baked bread, this layers with lime and lemon citrus and a gentle waxiness. In the mouth the wine builds layer by layer, yeasty, citrus, toast and a delicate saltiness combine to give a wine that is complex, ever changing and incredibly engaging. No wonder Jean is so proud of his old vines. L&S (Jul 2020)


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The vineyards for this wine were planted in 1942 and 1962, with the majority of fruit coming from the latter. A blend of 86% Semillon Blanc and 14% Semillon Gris, it has bright aromas of mandarin and white blossom, honeyed stone fruit and a savoury lanolin note. The crystalline palate is creamy and round with pithy grapefruit joining apricot and peach, along with crushed stone and toasted hazelnut. Taut acidity and a long, oily finish. Drinking range: 2020 - 2028 Rating: 95 Decanter Magazine (May 2020)

W.O. Franschhoek. Predominantly from a 1942 vineyard but also a dash of the previous vintage from a 1956 vineyard. A complex nose showing pear, white peach, apple and spice plus subtle notes of earth and bread-like yeastiness. The palate had both breadth and depth – lovely layers of flavour and great composure.www.winemag.co.za (Apr 2020)

Semillon cut deep into my flesh during my nine years in Franschhoek. We believe old vine Franschhoek Semillons are some of SA’s best most nuanced white wines produced. Our site, planted in 1942, produced 3 barrels of beautiful wines but sadly will never produce much more given the low yield of the old vines. There is a significant percentage of Semillon Gris within this block. We produced 1300 bottles in 2019, but that will probably be a highest volume these vineyards will produce in the near future. Winemaker's notes (Apr 2020)

Damascene

Damascene is a seriously exciting new find for us in South Africa. Their maiden vintage here was 2018 and we were blown away by the results. 2019, their second vintage was sold out on release, read the press release HERE.

The highly acclaimed Jean Smit, previously winemaker at Boekenhoutskloof, has teamed up with David Curl, former owner of Bordeaux’s Chateau Gaby.

Their goal is to explore all across the South African winelands in search of exceptional sites. Sites that deliver an important moment of insight, and hence the name of the project. A Damascene moment of clarity, where we can all understand the greatness of these small, prized plots.

The vineyards are old and well established but small, so each of these brilliant wines is only released in very small quantities. We urge you to catch them while you can.

This wine isn't currently part of a mixed case, but you can always browse our full selection of mixed cases here.
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