Technical Specifications

Alcohol 14.5%
Residual Sugar 2.5 g/L
Total Acidity 5.2 g/L
Calories (estimated) 120 kcal / glass
150ml glass120 kcal
750ml bottle600 kcal
Grape Varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon85%
Petit Verdot5%
Malbec4%
Cabernet Franc4%
Merlot2%
Region Stellenbosch
Soil Decomposed granite red iron-rich soils
Elevation 200.0 meters
Orientation South East And North West
Harvest Dates late February (Merlot, Cabernet Franc), early March (Malbec), mid-March (Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot)
Brix at Harvest 24.5°
Grape Clone CS46C, CS163C, CS27A, 10C, 1C
Vine Age Cabernet 14-26 years at harvest; Merlot and Cab Franc 15; Petit Verdot 12 years
Fermentation Vessels Open-Top Fermentation Vats, Oak Barrel
Natural Yeast Yes
Oak Aging 20 months
Oak Details 30% First Fill New Oak
First Fill New Oak30%
Oak Types French
Unfined Yes
Unfiltered Yes
Production Details The grapes for this wine are from 4 different Cabernet vineyards and our best Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot vineyards, all at a mix of different elevations. Although all are on the decomposed granite soils typical of the hillsides in Jonkershoek, the soil textures vary quite a lot and that, together with the differences in elevations and clones, gives a variety of different flavour profiles to the grapes. The Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes were picked in late February, the Malbec early March, and the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and the Petit Verdot were harvested in mid-March. The grapes were picked into small lug boxes and cooled overnight to about 14 degrees before being hand-sorted and crushed into small open-top fermentation vats. After being cold-soaked for a couple of days, the musts were inoculated with a mix of domestic and imported Bordeaux yeast. About 20% underwent fermentation with the natural yeasts. The fermentations were hand punched-down every 4 hours for the first half of fermentation and every 6-8 hours until dry. At dryness, the wine was basket-pressed and racked to barrel for malo-lactic fermentation and barrel maturation. Only 300L French oak was used, of which about 30% were new. Bottled without fining and with no filtration after 20 months barrel maturation. Total production: 6,361 (4.5L) cases.
Tasting Notes
Nose: blackberry fruit, tea-leaf, cedar
Palate: dark fruit, mocha
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