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%

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

Merlot 33%

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

 

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 : 9 / 3 / 04 – Cabernet Franc, 11 / 3 / 06 - Merlot

 

Production

Handpicking into 20 kg lugboxes. 100% destemmed and gently crushed directly into open top fermenters. Spontaneous natural yeast fermentation @ max. temp. 29°C for the Cab.F. and 31°C for the Merlot. Time on skins 14 days for the Cab.F. and 12 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 19 months, which included several rackings to gradually clarify the wine and assist maturation.

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

Bottling date: 14 / 12 / 05. Production : 144 x 6 bottle cases (112 cases sold)

 

Tasting Notes

Complex cranberry, smoke, dust and a touch of earth on the nose.  Fine, firm, grippy tannins with intriguing fruit persisting on the palate to the end of a long, dry finish.  Probably best between 2008 and 2015.

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

 

Analysis

Alc. 14.6               SG. 1.7              TA 5.4              pH 3.66               VA 0.56                SO2 31 & 58