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Kevin Grant

Ataraxia Chardonnay
7 November 2019 In

Ataraxia Chardonnay

Vintage review

Fortnightly batonnage was employed throughout the 10-month maturation period. The result is a Chardonnay that is New World in provenance but Old World in stylistic leaning. A chiselled, focussed wine that effortlessly manages to be both subtle and intense. The palate is penetrating and profound yet graceful and poised. A forceful mineral acidity is beautifully balanced by a subtle yet compelling intensity of fruit. Classic length, creaminess and intriguing complexity define this stylish, world-class Chardonnay.

Winemaker’s Notes

This hand-crafted wine is the product of our truly unique, extreme and radical vineyard sites situated exclusively in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge wine ward, close to the coastal village of Hermanus. Soils from these sites are derived from the Bokkeveld shale group, which are characteristically low-vigour, clay-rich and stony. Because of the cool maritime climate that exists here, the grapes have a long hang time which affords them the opportunity to fully complete their ripening journey. Picked early in the mornings during the last week of February and the first week of March 2017, the grapes were transported to the cellar where uncomplicated yet sensitive winemaking ensured
that the wine reflects this exciting terroir in an accurate, authentic and effortless way.

“Chardonnay is a grape variety that I have been romanced by for more than 14 years,” says winemaker Kevin Grant. “…And the love affair deepens with each passing vintage! To my mind Chardonnay is the complete white grape variety. Although it demands respect, attention to detail, a comprehensive understanding of the terroir where the grapes grow and an intuitive flair, the wine gives of itself so completely when you get everything right that it’s hard not to become totally awed by it. It makes the consummate white wine. Life without Chardonnay is like not being able to breathe! The style Ataraxia pursues has as its foundation the expression of place in a wine of profound balance, elegance, finesse and texture – all of which are hallmarks of the great and classic wines of the World.”

Food Pairing

Pair Chardonnays in the leaner Burgundian style with roasted chicken or seafood; the more voluptuous New World Chardonnays pair well with pasta dishes made with cream or cheese, with crayfish or other rich seafood and with Asian dishes that include coconut milk.

Chardonnay also works well with spicy foods like curries. The wood can carry the spice.

Ataraxia Pinot Noir
7 November 2019 In

Ataraxia Pinot Noir

Winemaker’s Notes

“Pinot noir remains one of those elusive grape varieties that, once it has cast its spell on you, becomes and remains a life-long obsession and passion. It is a grape that I have developed a real feeling for and within the context of the challenges it poses to a winemaker I think I understand what is required to make great Pinot noir. In South Africa, experience and research has shown the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley to be unequivocally the most exciting and promising area for quality Pinot noir production, easily on a par with and often exceeding the quality attained in other New World Pinot noir producing regions. I believe I can take Pinot noir to heights not yet seen in this country.”

Vintage Review

Grapes were hand-picked into small crates and then sorted, destemmed and gently crushed at the cellar. A 10 day pre-fermentation cold soak period in open fermenters was followed by a temperature-controlled ferment, peaking at 28°C for a total cuvaison of 22 days. The cap was gently punched down twice a day during alcoholic fermentation. The wine was then pressed and racked to carefully-selected French oak barrels, 22% of which were new and where 100% malolactic fermentation occurred. Then aged in barrels for 11 months before
being bottled.

Food Pairing

THE ULTIMATE FOOD WINE

Duck: Duck Breast with Pomegranate-Citrus Glaze
Pork: Garlic and Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin
Salmon: Oven-Baked Salmon Fillets
Mushrooms: Roasted Mushrooms with Herbs

Pinot Noir pairs very well with Wild Mushrooms which you can either make with pasta or risotto.
Pinot Noir also pairs beautifully with Salmon especially Norwegian Salmon. It also works with Duck and Coq au Vin (French for chicken cooked in wine, preferably Pinot Noir) and Pork.

More good pairings: Roast chicken or guineafowl (even with lots of garlic). Pigeon. Rack of lamb, served pink. Rare fillet steak and carpaccio. Beef Wellington. Roast pork with herbs and fennel. Chicken or turkey sausages. Calves liver, sweetbreads. Dishes with morels and other wild mushrooms. Roast or grilled crayfish.

Atraxia Sauvignon Blanc
7 November 2019 In

Ataraxia Sauvignon Blanc

Winemaker’s Notes

“Sauvignon blanc has shown itself to be an enduringly popular and interesting variety in South Africa and has the ability, when planted in judiciously selected sites, to produce wines of class and finesse. What is so intriguing about this variety is that it is also very much a viticulturist’s grape, where attention to detail in the vineyard is an absolute prerequisite and cornerstone to the production of quality wines. I believe cool climate, alchemy-free Sauvignon blanc has an exciting future on the South African wine scene and I very much want to be part of that.”

Vintage Review

Each vintage we are dealt a different climatic hand, one of the reasons why every new season is so eagerly anticipated on Ataraxia. The Sauvignon Blanc grapes for Harvest 2018 were picked on the 26th and 27th February, almost two weeks later than the previous vintage.
Despite the extraordinarily dry conditions that prevailed for most of the growing season, temperatures remained temperate during the final months leading up to harvest. The smaller berries that resulted from these dry conditions have produced a wine with substantially
concentrated and satisfying fruit flavours.

Hand-picked and then triaged over a sorting table, all our fruit was safely in the cellar by mid-morning on each picking day, guaranteeing that the exciting fruit flavours of the grape were preserved and are reflected in this wine.

Food Pairing

Minerally Sauvignon Blancs such as Sancerre, Pouilly Fumé and other cool climate Sauvignon Blancs from e.g. Tasmania
This is the style I’d choose with simple, barely seasoned ingredients such as raw and lightly cooked shellfish like oysters and shell-on prawns, fresh crab and simply grilled fish such as sea bass, especially with olive oil. They also work well with dishes that contain raw or barely cooked tomato such as gazpacho, tomato consommé or tomato vinaigrettes and young goats’ cheeses – or salads that contain goats cheese. Also good with Japanese dishes such as sushi and sashimi, seafood-based steamed and fried dim sum and smoked salmon, particularly if the smoke is delicate. And air-dried ham, oddly.

Ataraxia Serenity red blend
7 November 2019 In

Ataraxia Serenity

Winemakers Notes

Ataraxia’s red blend has as its primary goal the ultimate expression of a red blend from South Africa. At present Kevin does not concentrate on the cultivars that make up this blend, or indeed what, if any, cultivar forms the backbone of the blend. The quest is to show that “where from” is far more decisive than “what from” and is the truest expression of a wine’s personality. Kevin has, however, always been excited at the notion of a seven, twelve, even fifteen variety blend, where the true art of blending is taken to its logical and comprehensive conclusion.

Vintage Review

The fruit used to make this wine was sourced from radical and individual vineyards sites with one goal in mind – to have the confidence to “whisper” style through the true expression of these sites rather than “shout” brashness through winemaking excesses. This wine is a seamless blend of three varietals, Pinot noir, Cinsault and cool-climate Pinotage. However, the emphasis of this blend remains entirely on style rather than cultivar make-up. Cultivars are after all merely vehicles to express terroir and not the expression of a wine itself.
The different cultivars were handpicked, sorted and crushed into open fermenters. Here they each underwent cold maceration on their skins for seven to ten days before fermentation commenced. At completion of their ferment, each batch was pressed off separately to barrel where malolactic fermentation took place. Careful maturation in tight-grain French oak barriques, 21% of which were new, for a period of 11 months followed before the wine was blended and bottled in January 2018.

Food pairing ideas

As Kevin calls this his “Pinot Noir on steroids” this blend will go with any of the Ataraxia Pinot Noir food pairings.

It will also pair well with venison.

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