Vineyard Blocks

1st block 10 year old vines on 7 wire vertical trellis.  Mix of clones on 101-14 rootstock.  Mont Fleur vineyard. – high altitude mountain slope.  Soil deep red Hutton.  Yield 5 tons / hect.

(30hl/ha)

2nd block 7 year old vines on 5 wire vertical trellis.  Clone 20C on 101.14 rootstock.  Neighboring east facing Keermont vineyard.  Soil deep red Hutton.  Yield 5.5 tons / hect.

(33hl/ha)

3rd block 16 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.  Yield 3 tons / hect.

(18hl/ha)

4th block 6 yr old vines on 5 wire vertical trellis mix of clones on 101-14 rootstock. Soil a raised alluvial stone terrace a few kilometers down the Blaauwklip valley. Yield 5 tons/hect.

(30hl/ha)

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

12% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot incl.

 

Vintage Conditions

The spring was cool and late with good, even budburst. We had a few very hot days in early January, but generally the ripening season was relatively cool and dry and nearly 2 weeks later than usual. A light irrigation at veraison ensured the grapes ripened without too much stress. An unusual phenomenon in 2004 was the occurrence of some unripe berries within some of the bunches, which we had to painstakingly remove prior to crushing.

Harvest date: 15 / 3 / 04 - 1 / 4 / 04 @ 23.5 – 25.8° Balling.

 

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 – 5 times a day for 7 to 18 days. Wine drained directly to barrels together with single pressing from traditional basket press. All wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in the barrel. 35% new French oak and 5% new American oak was used from high quality coopers. Time in barrels 21 months with several rackings to gradually clarify the wine and assist maturation. This wine was bottled unfiltered by hand on the property.

Bottling date: 10 January 2006

Production: 790 cases.

 

Tasting Notes

Attractive, deep red colour.

Cassis, fresh red berries, toast and cedar nose.

Lovely purity of (complex) fruit and firm persistent tannins follow through to a long dry finish. Quite classic in style and similar to 1994, which is drinking particularly well now.

Probably best between 2010 – 2018.

Enjoy with rich, but subtly flavoured classic red meat dishes such as roast lamb.

 

Analysis

Alc.  14.56%            SG.1.9           TA  5.5          pH  3.70           VA  0.54           SO2  24free 51total