Named after the Cape Honey Bee, Apis Mellifera Capensis, and inspired by the owners’s son’s unfortunate experience with them during the sweet wine’s first press cycle.The Mellifera is only made in years when botrytis, or a small amount thereof, is found on the Riesling grapes.The utmost patience was needed to make this wine, taking the whole day to press the raisined berries. The juice was racked into a stainless steel tank and fermented between 13 and 15°C using a specially selected strain of yeast capable of handling higher sugars.
Honey/lemon yellow in colour, on the nose, floral with ripe apricot and spring blossom. On palate, delicate and floral with honey and apricots, a well balanced acidity adding elegance to the long rich finish.
Try with grilled peaches with vanilla ice-cream, pavlova with tropical fruits and cream
Gary and Kathy Jordan have been making world-class wines since 1993 on a farm with a history going back over 300 years. He’s a geologist, she’s an economist – together this husband and wife team is a phenomenon. Gary’s parents, Ted and Sheelagh, bought the now 164 hectare Stellenbosch property in 1982, and embarked on an extensive replanting programme, specialising in classic varieties suited to the different soils and slopes. From the Jordan hillside vineyards one has spectacular panoramic views of Table Mountain, False Bay and Stellenbosch. Gary and Kathy worked internationally for two years, refining their high-energy instincts with practical experience. They returned home to build a cellar in 1992.
