Cabernet Sauvignon

An intense bouquet that shows savoury tobacco notes along with liquorice and mint with a deep core of black plum and cassis. The palate shows a density and depth of flavor only found in the best vintages. An opulent entry of the dark fruit seen on the nose gives way to vibrant back palate with a refreshing acidity. Despite the wine’s ‘broad shoulders’ it maintains a svelte structure and almost never ending finish. A brilliant example of how great Stellenbosch Cabernet can be, highlighting the perfect balance between new-world opulence and old-world elegance.

The fruit for this wine were sourced from just 2 specific vineyard blocks on our farm and one small parcel from the slopes of the Helderberg. In 2017 we had a very dry winter season and warm dry conditions early in the growing season but slightly cooler weather in the run up to harvest. The drier than usual conditions resulted in smaller berries and with the cool weather in the later stages of ripening lead to good balance of fruit concentration and elegance with very little intervention required.

After de-stemming only (no crushing) the grapes were fermented in a combination of stainless-steel tanks and traditional open-top fermenters. We used a combination of “punch- downs” and “pump-overs” at different stages in fermentation and tried to extract a lot of flavour and tannin at the beginning of fermentation. Towards the end of the process we drastically reduced the extraction and usually limit it to only one pump-over per day not to over extract the wine and ensure we achieve the best balance. After primary fermentation the grapes were gently pressed and transferred to French oak barrels; 70% new, 30% 2nd and 3rd fill, for 18 months before final blending took place.