Vineyard Blocks

1st block 11 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 decomposed granite. 

Yield 4 tons / hect. (24hℓ/ha)

2nd block 8 year old vines on 5 wire vertical trellis.  Clone 20C on 101.14 rootstock.  Neighbouring east facing Keermont vineyard.  Soil deep red Hutton decomposed granite. 

Yield 3 tons / hect. (18hℓ/ha)

3rd block 17 year old vines on 4 wire vertical trellis.  Clone CS 46A on 101-14 rootstock.  Soil shallow gravelly red Hutton decomposed granite.  On low lying Helderberg mountain site. 

Yield 3 tons / hect. (18hℓ/ha)

14% Merlot incl.

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

​

Vintage Conditions

Slightly below average winter rain was followed by above average spring rain.  This allowed for good growth up to flowering and was followed by hot and dry conditions during berry enlargement, ensuring smaller berries.  Substantial rain (75mm) in January was beneficial for the late ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, ensuring it ripened evenly through the hot and dry weeks leading up to the harvest, producing big, rich, concentrated wine. 

Harvest date: 3 / 3 / 05 - 10 / 3 / 05 @ 24.5 – 25.8° 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. 35% new French oak and 5% new American oak was used from high quality coopers. Time in barrels 23 months with several rackings to gradually clarify the wine and assist maturation. This wine was bottled unfiltered by hand on the property.

Bottling date: 27 / 2 / 07

Production: 835 cases.

​

Tasting Notes

Impressive, deep red colour.

Big, intense palate with thick, broad tannins, though still quite fine.  Long finish and loads of potential.

Rich intense nutty fruitcake nose with a mix of black and red wild berries.  Some tobacco, smoke, toast and cedar mostly from the oak.

Delicious now with a thick chunk of free-range beef, but better between 2010 and 2020. 

 

Analysis

Alc.  15.28%           SG.3.1           TA  5.9           pH  3.85           VA  0.79           SO2  32free 79total