{"id":28512,"date":"2011-12-22T10:04:39","date_gmt":"2011-12-22T08:04:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whalecottage.com\/blog\/?p=28512"},"modified":"2012-01-01T12:05:31","modified_gmt":"2012-01-01T10:05:31","slug":"noble-hill-launches-the-longest-day-sauvignon-blanc-on-the-longest-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/cape-town\/noble-hill-launches-the-longest-day-sauvignon-blanc-on-the-longest-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Noble Hill launches ‘The Longest Day’ Sauvignon Blanc on the longest day!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I was invited by Noble Hill to join a small group of guests (including viticulturist consultant Rosa Kruger, Platter wine taster Winnie Bowman, sommelier Greg Mutambe from the Twelve Apostles Hotel, sommelier Josephine Gutentoft from the Grande Roche, wine writer Christian Eedes, and Babylonstoren Food & Beverage Manager Annelle van Tonder) on the sail training yacht, the s.t.y. Howard Davis, to celebrate the launch of their new ‘The Longest Day’ Sauvignon Blanc 2011, on the longest day of the year, being the summer solstice yesterday. This is the first Sauvignon Blanc made by winemaker Bernard le Roux at Noble Hill, with just over 2300 bottles, receiving 4,5 stars from Platter.<\/p>\n

Owner Kristopher Tillery explained the name of the new wine, in that the grapes are grown at high altitude (700 m) at Kaaimansgat in the Elandskloof, in the Villiersdorp area, receiving an above average amount of sunlight, with a long but cool growing season, the grapes ripening in March. The grapes were harvested by hand and delivered in a refrigerated truck to the 30 ha Nobel Hill winery on the Simondium-Klapmuts Road. Their land once formed part of the neighbouring Babylonstoren<\/a><\/span><\/strong>. The fruit was cooled to 5\u00b0C before crushing and pressing into stainless steel tanks for fermentation. The wine was racked and occasionally stirred for eight months before bottling, to give the wine complexity and richness, after primary fermentation. \u00a0 Fruit notes include melon, passion fruit, green apple, and gooseberry, with some green fig, nectarine and peach. \u00a0The wine is balanced with ‘racy acidity balanced by rich fruit’.<\/em> The wine\u00a0is ideal to drink with good friends and food ‘in the dog days of summer’<\/em>, says the Noble Hill information sheet. \u00a0Yesterday the sun rose at 5h32, and set at 19h57, giving 14 hours and 25 minutes of sunshine on the longest day of 2011. \u00a0The wine is recommended to sell at R95.<\/p>\n

Winemaker Bernard le Roux studied at the University of Stellenbosch, and has worked at \"\"<\/a>Flagstone, Hamilton Russell Vineyards, and Vilafont\u00e9\u00a0before joining Noble Hill. \u00a0He has good sea legs, pouring the wine and remaining upright without much effort, despite the bumpy ride. He sailed around the Seychelles and the Maldives a few years ago, he told me. \u00a0Noble Hill first started producing wines ten years, and the Tillery family bought the farm five years ago. \u00a0It is known for its unique ‘leaf and stem water potential irrigation’<\/em>, the write-up in Platter states.<\/p>\n

Noble Hill already produces a Sauvignon Blanc, as well as Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and the 1674 Signature Red Blend, each receiving 4 stars in the latest Platter Guide. \u00a0Kristopher studied at Harvard University, and lived in Nigeria for fifteen years. \u00a0The family regularly came to Cape Town on holiday since 1994. \u00a0He was a consultant to the largest USA insurance company, and approached the family’s new acquisition as he would a consulting job, ‘asking the right questions’<\/em>, he said, and focusing on balancing production and sales.<\/p>\n

Our sail was an exhilarating one, with a heavy swell until we reached Clifton, so much so that most of us stopped eating Kathleen Tillery’s lovely snacks and had more of ‘The\"\"<\/a> Longest Day’ to calm our nerves! \u00a0The return journey to the V&A Waterfront was a breeze, so to speak, and we didn’t want to leave the yacht. \u00a0The Howard Davis was designed by Kurt \u00d6hlmann, and was commissioned by the South African Merchant Navy in 1965. \u00a0She participated in the first Cape to Rio yacht race in 1971, and has since been restored to its former glory by its current owners.<\/p>\n

Noble Hill,<\/strong> Simondium-Klapmuts Road to Franschhoek. \u00a0Tel (021) 874-3844. \u00a0 www.noblehill.com<\/a> Twitter: @NobleHill Monday – Sunday.<\/p>\n

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com<\/a> Twitter: @WhaleCottage<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was invited by Noble Hill to join a small group of guests (including viticulturist consultant Rosa Kruger, Platter wine taster Winnie Bowman, sommelier Greg Mutambe from the Twelve Apostles Hotel, sommelier Josephine Gutentoft from the Grande Roche, wine writer Christian Eedes, and Babylonstoren Food & Beverage Manager Annelle van Tonder) on the sail training […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[3,124,14,21,19],"tags":[14402,8239,14427,14429,32378,14431,14437,7104,144,14433,1958,14424,9358,14436,14430,14428,3210,387,14434,14425,109,32393,407,32373,14435],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t