Cabernet Sauvignon is our viticulturist's best friend: a balanced, even-growing vine with compact berries and high resistance to stress. This hardiness gives us space to induce stress at specific points of the growing cycle using leaf- and stem- water potential irrigation, an advanced method pioneered in South Africa by Noble Hill.
2009 was a very fine vintage, yielding beautiful fruit with deep colour and intensity of flavour. The overall climate for ripening was consistent and mild. Our fruit was harvested before a siege of warm weather that occurred late in the season.
Our Cabernet grapes rarely lack color or structure, making a light touch the cornerstone of our cellar practices. We aim for a light extraction by gently pumping the juice over the skins twice daily during the fermentation. This wine is matured in 225l French oak barrels for 18 months.
South Africa may be defined as a New World wine producer but this can be a bit of a misnomer: our vineyards are planted in some of the world's oldest soils. The decomposed granite soils that define our vineyards give this wine an earthy, cool and distinctively Old World character. We taste black fruit, cedar, and a hint of spice. This wine should age elegantly and show increased refinement through at least 2017.
