Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

An intense bouquet that shows savoury tobacco notes along with liquorice and mint with a deep core of black plum and cassis. The palate shows a density and depth of flavor only found in the best vintages. An opulent entry of the dark fruit seen on the nose gives way to vibrant back palate with a refreshing acidity. Despite the wine’s ‘broad shoulders’ it maintains a svelte structure and almost never ending finish. A brilliant example of how great Stellenbosch Cabernet can be, highlighting the perfect balance between new-world opulence and old-world elegance.

The fruit for this wine were sourced from just 2 specific vineyard blocks on our farm. Strong South-Easterly wind at the end of November caused some trouble in certain vineyards, however, we escaped the worst of it due to careful and well timed canopy management. A cool growing season led to a longer hanging period which helped to achieve physiological ripeness at more moderate sugar levels.

After careful selection in the vineyard the grapes were hand sorted at the winery ensuring only the best fruit was vinified. After de-stemming the grapes were fermented in a combination of stainless-steel tanks and traditional open-top fermenters. We used a combination of “punch- downs” and “pump-overs” at different stages in fermentation and tried to extract a lot of flavour and tannin at the beginning of fermentation. Towards the end of the process we drastically reduced the extraction and usually limit it to only one pump-over per day not to over extract the wine and ensure we achieve the best balance. After primary fermentation the grapes were gently pressed and transferred to French oak barrels, 90% new, 10% second fill, for 24 months before final blending took place.