SAGNAC
Sagnac 2010
Aromas of apricot fruit leather, caramel and polished oak with a touch of resin. The palate is rich
and spirited with lovely warmth and breadth. Flavours of praline, brûléed sugar or dark caramel are discernible alongside the apricot, dried citrus peel and roasted nuts. Smooth textured and polished, it is refined and cohesive. There’s even a suggestion of ginger preserve. Beautiful integration of oak and spirit which makes the rich flavours linger long
Sagnac 2009
A beautiful amber colour. Ripe apricot, peach and fudge, caramel aromas which mingle with hints of leather and creamy toffee. So appealing silky smooth and gently textured, the same flavours come through on the palate: ripe peach and apricot fruit notes with cookie dough, fudge and caramel nuances. There’s a depth of flavour and complexity to this spirit but a lightness too. Not at all harsh and truly rewarding with its long, rich finish.
Sagnac 2008
A beautiful amber colour. Ripe apricot, peach and fudge, caramel aromas which mingle with hints of leather and creamy toffee. So appealing silky smooth and gently textured, the same flavours come through on the palate: ripe peach and apricot fruit notes with cookie dough, fudge and caramel nuances. There’s a depth of flavour and complexity to this spirit but a lightness too. Not at all harsh and truly rewarding with its long, rich finish.
In the Vineyard
The 2010 vintage will be remembered as a challenging vintage. The constant fluctuations in weather conditions, with unrelenting winds prevailing almost throughout, made predicting quality and yield extremely difficult. Initially, the growth cycle was quite advanced, with early bud burst, but cold weather in October and November delayed fruit onset, and subsequent favourable conditions and the small size of the crop pushed the harvest date forward again. The overall cool climate during the early stages of ripening aided flavour retention in early ripening cultivars. The usual sporadic heat waves occurred in February and March. Grapes were healthy, with satisfying flavours and analyses. Bunches were generally looser than usual, and berries were smaller, resulting in an excellent fruit to skin ratio and intense fruit concentration.
Winemaking
The grapes are whole bunch pressed. The juice is then settled overnight for fermentation in stainless steel tanks at 14 – 16˚C. Immediately after fermentation the wine is sent to the distillery for distillation.
Origin of Fruit
Robertson
Grape Variety
Colombard
In the Vineyard
The grapes were sourced from Robertson. These grapes are cultivated on clay soils, underlined with lime stone, which tends to have a high water retention capacity. The vineyards were trellised by means of vertical shoot positioning.
Winemaking
The grapes are whole bunch pressed. The juice is then settled overnight for fermentation in stainless steel tanks at 14 – 16 ̊C. Immediately after fermentation the wine is sent to the distillery for distillation.
Origin of Fruit
Robertson
Grape Variety
Colombard
In the Vineyard
The grapes were sourced from Robertson. These grapes are cultivated on clay soils, underlined with lime stone, which tends to have a high water retention capacity. The vineyards were trellised by means of vertical shoot positioning.
Winemaking
The grapes are whole bunch pressed. The juice is then settled overnight for fermentation in stainless steel tanks at 14 – 16 ̊C. Immediately after fermentation the wine is sent to the distillery for distillation.
Origin of Fruit
Robertson
Grape Variety
Colombard
The Journey
SPIRITS AT L’ORMARINS
The first vintage of L’Ormarins Sagnac was only distilled in 2007, but the journey started in 2005 for Anthonij Rupert Wyne when Johann Rupert initiated the search for an alembic still. Armagnac as a category however is much, much older and was established, by all accounts around 1387 when French Royalty started taking an interest in it.
Armagnac is a distinctive brandy, usually distilled from wine and made from a blend of grapes using a column still rather than a pot still as in the production of Cognac. Similarly Eau de Vie is distilled from various fruits and as the name suggests was seen as the elixir of life by some. At the end of the 17th Century it was merely seen as a preservative. The drinkers of pure Eau de Vie, were no doubt the Dutch sailors. They called it brandewijn.
At the end of the 19th Century improvements were made on the column still, now called the alembic still and a growth in the trade of Eau de Vie encouraged distillers to perfect their equipment. In 2006 an alembic still arrived on L’Ormarins and was installed. Producing 2.5 barrels of Sagnac per vintage between 2007 and 2011. By 2011 “Buks” Willem Venter (the artisanal distiller responsible for L’Ormarins Sagnac and Eau de Vie) was eager to expand the range, having been introduced to the owner of most of the litchi trees in the Malelane region. Laboratory fermentations and distillations were done and the team went commercial with the resultant products in 2013. Both the first vintage of the L’Ormarins Litchi Eau de Vie as well as the L’Ormarins Sagnac was released for the first time in July 2015.
Sagnac
L’Ormarins Port
Litchi Eau De Vie
Apple Eau De Vie
