Technical Specifications
Alcohol 14.0%
Residual Sugar 1.8 g/L
Total Acidity 6.2 g/L
Calories (estimated) 115 kcal / glass
150ml glass115 kcal
750ml bottle575 kcal
Grape Varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec
Cabernet Sauvignon89%
Petit Verdot6%
Cabernet Franc3%
Malbec2%
Region Jonkershoek Valley
Soil Stoney decomposed granite, Clay subsoil
Elevation 500.0 meters
Orientation South Westerly
Grapes Picked mid-March
Grape Clone 169, 23
Vine Age planted 2003, re-planted 2009
Fermentation Vessels Small-Lot Open Tanks
Maceration 10 days
Oak Aging 20 months
Oak Details 70% First Fill New Oak
First Fill New Oak70%
Oak Types French
Unfined Yes
Unfiltered Yes
Production Details We have been planning this wine for more than 15 years. We made a small "test run" in 2008, but the vineyard burned the following year and we had to re-plant. It is a Bordeaux-style blend based around this unique Cabernet vineyard and blended with the best parcels of our other Bordeaux varieties. This is the third vintage of this wine after re-planting the vineyard. Our idea has always been to make what is basically a single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from this unique vineyard – although it is not a true single-vineyard in that we have blended in barrel selections of the best of our other vineyards. The Cabernet has a very intense cassis aroma with unique citrus-rind notes. It has a firmer tannin structure than many of our wines, but still with the elegance for which Jonkershoek Valley wines are known. All of the grapes were hand-picked in mid-March. This was our last vineyard to pick. The grapes were cooled overnight and then de-stemmed and carefully sorted. Fermentation was in small-lot open tanks. The wine was cold-soaked for two days before fermentation began. We did punchdowns 4-6 times a day during the vigorous part of fermentation and then 2 times towards the end. After about 10 days on the skins, the wine was pressed and racked to barrel for malo-lactic fermentation. The wine spent 20 months in barrel, all small French oak, about 70% new. Bottled with no fining and no filtration.