Vineyard Blocks

1st block 13 year old vines on 7 wire vertical trellis. Mix of 6 different clones on 101-14 rootstock. Mont Fleur vineyard. – high altitude mountain slope. Soil deep red Hutton decomposed granite.
Yield 3 tons / ha. (18hℓ/ha)
2nd block 10 year old vines on 5 wire vertical trellis. Clone CS20C on 101.14 rootstock. Neighbouring east facing Keermont vineyard. Soil deep red Hutton decomposed granite.
Yield 3 tons / ha. (18hℓ/ha)
3rd block 19 year old vines on 4 wire vertical trellis. Clone CS46A on 101-14 rootstock. Soil shallow gravelly red Hutton decomposed granite. On low lying Helderberg mountain site.
Yield 3 tons / ha. (18hℓ/ha)
4th block 4 year old vines on 7 wire vertical trellis. Clone CS169 on 101-14 rootstock. Neighbouring north facing Keermont vineyard. Soil deep red Hutton decomposed granite. Yield 2 ton/ha (12hℓ/ha)
7% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot incl.

These yields equate to less than 1kg of fruit per vine, arguably the threshold for the production of GREAT wine!

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Vintage Conditions

Typical cold, wet winter followed by a normal growing season with enough rain and warm weather to produce good, balanced growth. The knife-edge harvest conditions with small heat waves alternating with short, wet, cold spells seemed to bring out a nutty character in the Cab.S. and accentuate the natural structure of the wine in quite an elegant way.
Harvest date: 22 / 2 / 07 - 16 / 3 / 07 @ 24.3 – 25.5° B.

 

Production

100% destemming and crushing by hand directly into 2 ton open top fermentation tanks. Spontaneous natural yeast fermentation @ 30ºC with the cap of skins punched down 2 – 4 times a day for 12 to 14 days. Wine drained directly to barrels together with single pressing from traditional basket press. All our wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in the barrel. 40% new French oak was used from high quality coopers. Time in barrels 22 months with several rackings to gradually clarify the wine and assist maturation. This wine was bottled unfiltered by hand on the property.
Bottling date: 21 / 01 / 09
Production: 720 x 12 x 750mℓ; 12 x 3ℓ.

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Tasting Notes

Attractive deep red colour. Intense fruitcake, complex berries and black olives. A distinct nutty character evolves and is complimented by pencil shavings and cedar from the fine French oak. Still tight, restrained and rather linear on the palate. Needs time to unfold and show itself.
Decant with air and enjoy with a thick chunk of beef on the braai. Best between 2012 and 2020.

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Analysis

Alc. 15.19%             SG. 2.2            TA 5.7            pH 3.82            VA 0.57            SO2 9free 37total