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 lightly crushed into stainless steel tanks. The fermentation started with indigenous yeast and a mixture of rack-and-returns and open pump-overs. Post-fermentation skin contact lasted 2 to 3 weeks before gentle pressing and transferring into new French oak barrels where malolactic fermentation took place. The wine stayed on its lees for a considerable period of time before racking (on average, every 4 months) and enjoyed a maturation of 24 months in new French oak barrels.

GRAPE VARIETIES : 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot

PRODUCTION : 3,762cases – 22,577 bottles

ANALYSIS :

Alcohol: 14.5% Vol.
Total Acidity: 5,86 g/L
pH: 3,55
Residual Sugar: 2.1 g/L

View Lady May 2017 Tasting Notes