Mont Fleur Vineyard

The two best barrels of Cabernet Franc and the best barrel of Merlot were chosen from wines produced from our magnificent vineyard site high up on the eastern slopes of the Helderberg mountain. The soil is a deep red decomposed granite – Hutton type. The vines are close planted (5000 vines / hect.)

 

Cabernet Franc 67%

9 yr old vines on 7 wire vertical trellis. Clone CF1 on 101-14 rootstock.

Merlot 33%

9 yr old vines on 7 wire vertical trellis. Clone MO181 on R99 rootstock

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Vintage Conditions

The growing and ripening period was near perfect. A light irrigation at veraison ensured the grapes got through the end of the warm, dry summer without too much stress. The wines have intense fruit, excellent structure and great maturation potential.

Harvest date: 26 / 2 / 03 - 27 / 2 / 03

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Production

Handpicking into 20 kg lugboxes. 100% destemmed and gently crushed directly into open top fermenters. Spontaneous natural yeast fermentation @ max. temp. 28.5°C for the Cab.F. and 30°C for the Merlot. Time on skins 16 days for the Cab.F. and 8 days for the Merlot, with cap of skins punched down (pigeage) 1 – 4 times a day. Wine drained directly to barrels together with single pressing from traditional basket press.

All our red wines undergo malolactic fermentation in the barrel. This helps to integrate the new oak and fix colour and flavour compounds. Mostly new French oak used. Time in barrel 20 months, which included several rackings to gradually clarify the wine and assist maturation.

This wine was bottled by hand, unfined or unfiltered, on the property.

Bottling date: 12 / 1 / 05. Production : 98 x 6 bottle cases (80 cases sold)

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Tasting Notes

Complex, spicy fruit and oak entwined with cranberry nuances. Purity of fruit and spicy, dusty oak on the palate persists on the long, dry finish. Probably best between 2006 and 2015.

Ideal with quite a variety of finely flavored and even quite spicy red meat dishes.

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Analysis

Alc. 14.3               SG. 1.5              TA 5.8               pH 3.52               VA 0.49                SO2 18 & 43