Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 (Other vintages: 2018, 2016)
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
Overview: 2017 was a dry vintage in Stellenbosch with concentrated flavors. This is a lovely, elegant red with ripe, red fruits and an easy-going texture. It's not a light wine although all too easy to drink. Best with good food but fine for a party. The wine comes from old vineyards, mostly fermented with its natural (not commercial) yeast and aged in French oak. It’s medium to full bodied, easy, fruity and supple enough to drink quite young but will improve with age.
In Detail...
The grapes for the 2017 vintage come from a single 200-year-old farm
in the Stellenbosch Kloof region of Stellenbosch. Vineyards in this
part of Stellenbosch are close to Cape Town and are almost
equidistant to the cool winds of the Atlantic Ocean to the West and
False Bay to the South. The vines are 28 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 drip irrigation was used to compensate for the dry summer
but yields strenuously restricted to 8 ton/ha. Fermentation was
started with the grapes natural yeast from 24 balling down to 10
balling and then inoculated to ensure 100% fermentation and to keep
the wine healthy. 12 months of wood aging in French oak from Alliers
and Nevers ensued using older wood (2nd to 5th fill barrels) so as
not to overwhelm the wine. In keeping with the natural approach, the
wine is not fined and only filtered through a sheet filter into the
bottle. The winemaker's philosophy is to guide the process, rather
than forcing it and therefore, 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 red berries
and black berry, together with more structured tannins and a
balanced elegant wood finish.
Technical details: ALC - 13.54% Vol; PH - 3.59; RS - 1.5 g/l; TA -
6.5 g/l.
Awards:
Wine Spectator - 89 points (December 2019 edition).
Sommeliers Choice Awards - 20 Wines to Serve On Thanksgiving.
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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