Mont Fleur Vineyard

The best barrels of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and 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.) ensuring that each vine does not produce much more than 1kg.

 

Cabernet Franc 34%

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

Merlot 33%

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

Cabernet Sauvignon 33%

11 yr old vines on 7 wire vertical trellis. Clones CS337 and CS359 on 101-14 rootstock

Yield 5 tons/ha. (36hℓ/ha)

 

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 grapes, ensuring they ripened evenly through the hot and dry weeks leading up to the harvest, producing rich, concentrated, yet elegant  wine. 

Harvest date:  Cabernet Franc 22 / 2 / 05 @ 24.5 ° B; 

Merlot 24 / 2 / 05 @ 24° B;  Cabernet Sauvignon 8 / 3 / 05 @ 24.5 ° B.

 

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 and Cabernet Sauvignon. Time on skins 14 days for the Cab.F. and 12 days for the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, 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 23 months, which included several rackings to gradually clarify the wine and assist maturation.

No acid, sugar, water, tannin etc. added, only the absolute minimum SO2.

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

Bottling date: 7 / 3 / 07

Production : 100 x 6 bottle (750mℓ) cases

86 x 6 (375mℓ) bottle cases

 

Tasting Notes

(Selected comments by CWG members at the Auction Workshop)

 

“Tobacco, cigar box nose. Black berry fruit. Iodine, violets, graphite. Meaty, beefy. Very defined with great finish. Cherries. Ripe fruit on palate integrates with nice dry wood tannins to give a long finish – good balance. Beautiful tannin management. Not big, but classy.”

 

Analysis

Alc. 14.6               SG. 1.9              TA 5.5              pH 3.49              VA 0.65                 SO2 24 & 51