WEATHER CONDITIONS – Simonsberg, Stellenbosch
Winter was late, but cold enough to allow dormancy of our vines. Low rainfall brought low soil moisture levels which led to managing stress in the vines later in the season via drip irrigation. Luckily spring sprung with good, even bud burst. Warm weather for the season with little to no rain. This led to smaller berries appearing and lower bunch mass. Although there were more bunches on the vines to make up the yield. The harvest was earlier than usual and larger than in previous years.
WINEMAKING
The grapes were hand sorted and lightly crushed into stainless steel fermentation tanks. They were given a cold soak for three days before allowing the natural fermentation to start. Three pump overs a day were done on the tanks during fermentation, after which they underwent extended skin contact for 2-3 weeks. The wine was placed in French oak barrels to undergo malolactic fermentation. Matured for 18 months in French oak and racked on average every four months.
GRAPE VARIETIES 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 12% Syrah, 7% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc
PRODUCTION 10,213 cases – 61,282 bottles
ANALYSIS Alcohol: 14.5 % Vol. Total Acidity: 5,36 g/L pH: 3,58 Residual Sugar: 1.71 g/L
