Alheit Vineyards - Fire by Night 2022
Alheit Vineyard is located in Hemelrand , in the Walker Bay region of South Africa . The Estate was established in 2011 by Chris Alheit , who after starting out making pineapple beer under his bed as a child, studied viticulture in Stellenbosch where he met his wife Susan with whom he manages today the Domaine. After their studies, the couple traveled to different wine-growing regions of the world (Napa Valley, Saint Emilion, Australia, Germany, etc.) which aroused respect and admiration for committed viticulture . They work on 21 hectares of vines in several regions as well as plots of lavender and olive trees. The 8 vineyard plots are located in Skurfberg, Piekenierskloof, Paardeberg, Bottelary Hills, Tygerberg, Franschhoek, False Bay and Hemel & Aarde. They have a minimalist approach to winemaking, and for them 99% of the work is done in the vineyard and 1% in the cellar.
Fire By Night 2022 is a cuvée from a plot of Chenin Blanc , on their own property in Paardeberg called Nuwedam. The grapes are sorted by hand and pressed into whole clusters . The juice is very lightly decanted without additions. Fermentation is carried out in ovoid cement vats, tuns and old barrels (different sizes) and lasts approximately 1 month. The wine is aged on lees for approximately 12 months , then rested in vats on fine lees without fining for an additional 6 months before bottling.
Grape variety: 100% Chenin Blanc