Description
This Semillon is sourced from a vineyard grown on rich, decomposed granitic Tukulu soils in the Bo-Hoek region of Franschhoek. Harvested at low potential alcohol, the aim is to capture the transition between austerity and extravagance – a balancing act of the highest order to preserve the fruit’s natural acidity and to avoid excessive ripening. Once harvested, the juice is fermented in contact with the skins, utilising minimal-intervention winemaking techniques. A percentage of stalks were also used to provide a rudimentary filter for draining the resulting wine. After fermentation, the skin cap is covered with a layer of extra virgin olive oil and allowed to settle for 2 months in contact with the skins.
Producer Profile
Lokaia was born from the overwhelming sense that there was
more to explore in the Franschhoek Valley. While it’s no secret that Semillon,
Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc are at the forefront of the region’s wine
identity, their bottled form still has room for growth and refinement. The
ultimate goal is to extract as much personality and definition from the grapes
as possible, while still maintaining each variety’s purity, brightness and
focus.
Lokaia’s intrepid founders, Clayton Reabow and Craig
McNaught, are also the winemakers behind this visionary Franschhoek-based
label. These guys have decades of wine experience between them and collaborated
on a plethora of other projects before diving in to their own brand in 2020. It
was just one of those things that was always going to happen.
Clayton has been behind the wheel of Franschhoek’s
Chardonnay Mecca – Moreson, for fourteen years and counting. Currently at the
peak of his powers, he is still the only individual to have won both the
Diner’s Club Young Winemaker of the Year and Winemaker
of the Year awards. While simultaneously running a bourgeoning wine
consultancy, Clayton continues to bottle some of South Africa’s most
critically-acclaimed wines.
Craig, is the second-generation winemaker and co-owner of
Stony Brook Vineyards in Franschhoek’s Bo-Hoek region. His focus for many years
has been on producing traditional, old-world influenced wines and Lokaia
affords him the opportunity to delve in to the postmodern.
So what happens when you merge these two
personas together and let their imaginations run wild? The answer: a winemaking
philosophy that captures their common passion in sublime liquid form.
