Technical Specifications
Alcohol 14.5%
Residual Sugar 1.8 g/L
Total Acidity 5.8 g/L
Calories (estimated) 120 kcal / glass
150ml glass120 kcal
750ml bottle600 kcal
Grape Varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon85%
Petit Verdot9%
Cabernet Franc3%
Malbec2%
Merlot1%
Region Stellenbosch
Soil Decomposed granite
Elevation 200.0 meters
Orientation South East And North West
Grapes Picked 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 11-23 years at harvest; merlot and cab franc 13 years; petit verdot 10 years
Fermentation Vessels Open-Top Fermentation Vats, Oak Barrel
Natural Yeast Yes
Oak Details 35% First Fill New Oak
First Fill New Oak35%
Oak Types French
Barrel Size 300l
Unfiltered Yes
Production Details The grapes for this wine are from 4 different cabernet vineyards and our best merlot, 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 commercial yeasts. A range of yeast was used, several domestic and an imported Bordeaux yeast. About 20% also 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 35% were new. After 18 months barrel maturation, the blend was assembled and put back to barrels for a further 4 months integration. Bottled with a light filtration after 22 months barrel maturation.