Kortpad Kaaptoe, Blank Bottle 2021

Made from four pickings of the same vineyard to balance high acids in the early picks with rich fruit from the later ones. Made from the Fernao Pires variety, the vineyard lies in Swartland with old, gnarly dry-farmed bushvines making a unique style. Fermented and aged in a blend of old oak and amphora with a little wholebunch and skind contact - unusually for white - it offers a unique fruit profile. Exotic, wild fruit leaps from the glass with notes of melon, pineapple and musky, spicy grape and lychee tones. This is reminiscent of an Alsatian style. 10 months on the lees have added viscosity and richness to the texture, blending the ripe fruit and honeyed, spicy tones in a complex, layered palate. The early pickings have reaped rewards, with lively acids cutting through the heady mix of fruit. Well balanced and unique, it offers great insight into the cutting edge of the South African wine scene.