Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 (Other vintages: 2018, 2017)
The winemaker of our Cabernet Sauvignon is not shy for an opinion, his winemaking philosophy is
“Every winemaker must have a philosophy of some kind, if we don’t,
then we can just as well call ourselves food technicians according
to mine." On searching for the best terroir: "Each component adds to
the final product - pure, honest, awesome wines."
There is a basis for his opinions. He comes from a long line of
farmers and winemakers in the Paarl/Perdeberg region (north of
Stellenbosch). He cut his teeth as an assistant at Uva Mira, when
the estate won Young Winemaker of the Year. He then moved on to be
the lead winemaker at Slaley before achieving the Cape Wine Master
Certification and branching out on his own with a passion for
finding the perfect combination of grapes and terroir. The
seriousness leaves his face and he brightens up when he speaks of
his favorite place – his home overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in
Pringle Bay, surrounded by a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Vineyard and Wine
The 2016 vintage was made in very limited quantities.
The grapes for the 2016 vintage come primarily from Stellenbosch with a
small portion from high quality vineyards further North
(in the Paarl appellation) for body. The vines are approximately 12 years old, trained
to 5 wire trellising, pruned to cordon with spurs and planted in
North West facing vineyards with Oakleaf, granite and Kroonstad
soils. Overhead irrigation was used to compensate for the dry summer
but yields restricted to 10.25ton/ha. The grapes were harvested on
March 7th. The art is in the skillful blending of the various
terroirs (wine growing regions) and the winemaker's philosophy is to
guide the process by letting the natural elements come through,
rather than forcing it. The wine was whole bunch pressed for optimal
fruit. The grapes were cold soaked for 2 days and then inoculated
with yeast. 12 months of wood aging is through a combination of 35%
American and 65% French oak using both newer and older wood (2nd to
5th fill barrels) so as not to overwhelm the wine. Egg white fining
and bulk/sterile sheet filtration were performed. Throughout the
process, the handling is minimal, to ensure that the natural
characteristics of the wine shine through. The final result is a
true style of Cabernet Sauvignon with lots of black fruit, mulberry
and black berry, together with more structured tannins and an
opulent elegant wood finish.
Technical details: ALC - 14.53% Vol; PH - 3.60; RS - 2.9 g/l; TA - 5.6
g/l.
Yair Safriel's thoughts: "This is my 'any occasion' wine. Even people who don't usually drink red wines will enjoy this"
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