Rhône Theme
Timed Online Auction, 2 - 12 February 2024
Rhône | International & South African offering
About the SessionThe first sale of the 2024 Strauss & Co Fine Wine Auction calendar is an exciting Rhône valley and Rhône-style offering and has fast-become one of the most popular at Strauss & Co Fine Wine Auctions.
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About this Item
Niels and Penny Verburg’s agenda to eschew innovation at this Bot River property, after going solo in the early 2000’s after successful wine making at nearby Beaumont, has served them well, establishing Luddite as one of the finest Shiraz producers in South Africa.
Producer Notes: 'The 2015 vintage was the start of a long, dry spell in the Western Cape. Due to this dryness and heat towards the end of the growing season, the 2015 vintage is our smallest to date (2.3t/ha). As a result, we picked both our old block and young block together for the first time, the whole farm fitted into one tank. As opposed to having various methods of fermentation ie, small bin punch-downs and pump-overs, all the wine was made in stainless steel tank with the pump-over method. Being a smaller crop, we have unbelievable fruit intensity and by fermenting in stainless steel, we were able to control the temperature throughout the fermentation and therefore retain the fruit intensity of the vintage.'
Provenance
Wine Cellar Private Client
Critics Ratings
'Only 2.3 t/ha yield, 4 weeks on skins, 24 months mainly French barrels, 30% new, and 2015 is a powerhouse of perfume and flavour: black cherries, scrub, white pepper notes, salty liquorice. Richly textured, handsome, as 2014 (5 stars, 95 pts), but muscles more toned. Various bottle formats.' - Platter's SA Wine Guide 2020, 4.5* (94/100)