Blankbottle “Orbitofrontal Cortex” 2021
Named for the brain region behind conscious decision-making winemaker Pieter Walser’s own pick for the best blend in his cellar.
Grape Varietals & Region: Chenin Blanc (29.8%), Verdelho (25.4%), Clairette (23.4%), Grenache Blanc (9.4%), Marsanne (6%), Roussanne (5.8%) and Viognier (0.2%), from vines across Firgrove, Swartland, Stellenbosch and Voor-Paardeberg.
Taste Profile: Pale golden with silver highlights, and a nose of delicate white blossom, lemon, peach and underripe exotic fruit. Dry and medium-bodied on the palate, with good acidity and a slightly waxy texture; flavours of beeswax, tangerine, pear and lemon are complemented by stony minerality.
Winemaking Process: Grapes picked at optimal ripeness and cooled overnight to 4C, then pressed as whole bunches with no additives the next morning. Spontaneous fermentation in French oak (nothing new), clay pots and egg-shaped cement tanks; a single sulfur addition in deep winter, 10 months on the lees, blended and bottled.
Winemaker: Blankbottle’s Pieter H. Walser builds each vintage’s white blend by tasting through every white component in his cellar and assembling whichever combination represents that year most honestly a process he trusts enough to name after the part of the brain responsible for conscious decision-making.
