|
VINEYARD BLOCK
Mostly from 8 year old vines on 4 wire vertical trellis. Clone
CS 46A on 101-14 rootstock. Soil gravelly red Hutton type.
On low lying Helderberg mountain site. No irrigation necessary
in 1996. Yield 7 tons / hect.
We have sourced grapes from several other vineyards in the
area, but this block consistently produces the best results.
10% merlot incl
VINTAGE CONDITIONS
A fairly difficult vintage with above average rain during
the growing period. The late ripening Cab. S. was less affected
by the scattered rain during harvest than most other varieties.
The fruit was picked fully ripe in beautiful condition with
lots of colour, flavour and suppleness.
Harvest date : 8 / 3 / 96 - 21 / 3 / 96 @ 21.1 - 24.2°
Balling.
PRODUCTION
100% destemming and crushing by hand directly into small open
top stainless steel fermentation tanks. Spontaneous natural
yeast fermentation @ 30 degrees celsius with the cap
of skins punched down 3 times a day for approx. 10 days. Aim
was to extract max. colour, flavour and tannins without undue
harshness. Wine drained directly to barrels together with
single pressing from traditional basket press.
All wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in the barrel.
This helps integrate the new oak component and fix colour
and flavour compounds. 30% new French
oak and 5 % new American oak was used from the high
quality 'Taransaud' and ' Demptos' cooperages. Time in barrel
19 months, which included several
rackings to gradually clarify the wine and assist maturation
development. Only the best barrels are chosen for the Cab.S.
- the cellar's flagship wine.
This wine was lightly fined with egg whites ( 3 eggs per
barrel ), before bottling unfiltered
by hand on the property.
Bottling date : 11 / 11 / 97.
TASTING NOTES
Dense, with purple tint. Intense, creamy blackberry and (
May 1998 ) Christmas pudding aromas. Rich, sweetish berry
fruit and spicy oak palate. Fine, firm structure and long
finish. Probably best between 1999 and 2005. Enjoy with rich,
but finely flavoured dishes such as roasted or pan fried red
and white meats with rich, creamy sauces.
ANALYSIS
Alc. 13.17 Sugar 1.5 TA 5.4
pH 3.78 VA 0.51 SO2 27 & 34
|
