Description
Introduction Floral, complex and well balanced with spices lifting a basket of red berries and dried herbs with a long savoury finish. To experience the best this wine has to offer, decanting is suggested. Wine Made in the Soil the grapes came from Stanford in Walker Bay and 50% from Kaaimansgat, in the sub-region of Overberg. The vines are all Burgundian, clone 115. The Stanford vineyard is close to the southernmost tip of Africa and is located in one of South Africa’s coolest wine producing regions. The maritime vineyard enjoys a long ripening season, as a result of the strong cooling winds that are prevalent in the summer. This microclimate is ideal for creating a long hang time, concentrating the flavours in the berries, while retaining natural acidity levels. Kaaimansgat is situated near the town of Villiersdorp at 700 metres above sea level and ripens even later then the coastal vineyard. The vines here planted in shale and clay soils produce fleshier fruit, adding weight to the final blend. Winemakers’ Notes The grapes were picked at optimal ripeness. 15% whole bunch fermented in large 5000 litre vats with gentle pumpovers twice a day. The process allowed for a long extraction period which lends to the fruit expression and structure of this wine. The free run wine was drained off and the fermented grapes were then pressed in a traditional wooden basket press. The wine was racked into 225, 300 and 500 litre barrels where malolactic fermentation took place and the wine was aged for 10 months. 35% new French oak was used. Time in the bottle will allow integration, the deepening of layers and full expression of the fruit.
Awards
92 pts Tim Atkin
Alcohol
13.0%
Analytical data
dry