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 / ha.) ensuring that each vine does not produce much more than 1kg.

 

Cabernet Franc 34%

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

Yield 4 tons/ha. (22hl/ha)

Merlot 33%

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

Yield 5 tons/ha. (30hl/ha)

Cabernet Sauvignon 33%

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

Yield 4 tons/ha. (22hℓ/ha)

 

Vintage Conditions

Typical cold, wet winter followed by a normal growing season with enough rain and warm weather to produce good, balanced growth. The knife-edge harvest conditions with small heat waves alternating with short, wet, cold spells seemed to bring out a ripe elegance in all three varietals.   

Harvest date:  Cabernet Franc 17 / 3 / 07 @ 24.2 ° B; 

Merlot 17 / 3 / 07 @ 24.8° B;  Cabernet Sauvignon 18 / 3 / 07 @ 23.5 ° B.

 

Production

Handpicking into 20 kg lugboxes. 100% destemmed and gently crushed directly into open top fermenters. Spontaneous natural yeast fermentation @ max. temp. 30°C for the Cab.F. and 30°C for the Merlot and 29°C for the 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 22 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: 23 / 01 / 09

Production : 110 x 6 bottle (750mℓ) cases

65 x 6 bottle (375 mℓ) cases

 

Tasting Notes by Steve Tanzer

Score 92

“Bright red-ruby. Very ripe aromas of currant, tobacco and pepper. Supple and rather suave on the palate, with black and red berry flavors complicated by minerals, black cardamom and wild herbs. At once plump and serious thanks to its underlying minerality and firm, dusty tannins. I find this more refined than the 2005 version sold in last year's auction.”

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Analysis

Alc.14.83              SG. 1.7              TA  5.5              pH  3.58               VA 0.55              SO2 13 & 38