Description
Wild Air is a collaboration project from Hannes Storm, of Storm Wines. Hannes was blown away by the beauty and potential of the Ignis vineyard, a 0.5-hectare patch on a northern slope in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. Viticulture is as meticulous, everything is done by hand, yields are limited. Most of the vineyard is planted with Pinot, but Hannes knew of a small section of 20-year-old Sauvignon Blanc vines growing on low-vigour, stony, clay-rich shale soils. Inspired by the more restrained, textural styles of Sauvignon Blanc rarely made in South Africa. Hannes took a very hands-off approach to the winemaking, using a basket press, fermenting with natural yeasts, mostly in older French oak. The wine rests on the lees for 6 months. The result is a savoury, mineral and food-friendly style of Sauvignon Blanc, a testament to the quality of the fruit and to Hannes’ gentle and confident winemaking.
