The Flemish Masters

Please note: Award stickers are applied at the producer's discretion and may not be present on all bottles.

Every grape, by virtue of its genetic characteristics but also where it is grown, requires a different winemaking approach to give the best expression of its grape/site combination. e.g. Some Syrah goes through carbonic maceration on the stalks while another portion is co-fermented with Viognier, contributing an additional layer of bright red fruit and angular tannins. Varying degrees of skin maceration are employed here. Malolactic fermentation typically happens on the skins. Merlot is treated very gently with only 1 Delestage racking per day, some micro-oxidation and the gentlest (early) pressing. Malolactic takes place in barrel. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet franc are small-batch fermented in open bins with regular manual punchdowns. Malbec is fermented whole-berry and at cooler temperatures to enhance the perfumed notes. Only the oldest barrels are used to preserve these delicate aromas. Petit Verdot & Mourvedre are fermented in open-top vessels and pressed of with an old-school manual basket press to increase concentration.

All grapes used to make this wine are grown, vinified and bottled on our estate. Our reds get extended hang-time in this cool climate, resulting in fully ripe fruit aroma’s without getting overripe flavours or extravagant alcohol levels. The rows are north-south facing to achieve optimal solar interception while allowing for the prevailing maritime winds to cool down the vineyard. Meticulous canopy management and precision viticulture are employed to obtain optimum ripeness. Every cultivar is treated individually by varying the exposure to sunlight to enhance the desired fruit spectrum. Through our sustainable practices of enhancing soil health (e.g. packing the pruning canes under the vines, use of cover crops & introducing microbial life) we are able to farm without herbicides or inorganic fertilisers. This results in healthier vines, fully ripe grapes at lower sugar levels and wines with less residues and lower alcohol levels. Picking decisions at Almenkerk are made by tasting the grapes daily during the harvest season. With Syrah, we look for phenolic ripeness with full dark fruit flavours and ripe tannins. Merlot is left to hang until it displays the typical ripe mulberry flavours and no longer shows any greenness. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet franc need full ripeness to prevent herbal notes in the wine. Petit Verdot needs to get rid of its sharp bite and assertive tannins. Malbec requires patience until the fruit profile turns to plums & winegums. Mourvedre – always the last to pick – needs thin, soft skins before picking. Due to our cool climate this optimum ripeness is reached at moderate sugar (alcohol) levels, while retaining a freshness that stems from the natural acidity. Harvest takes place early morning to keep the grape temperature low. All grapes are hand-picked into small lug boxes to prevent crushing the grapes. Meticulous sorting is done in the vineyard and again at the cellar. Only the intact, healthy berries go into tank. No sulphites or preservatives are used to allow the natural yeasts that occur in the vineyard to survive the process and ferment the juice. The various clones & vigour-zones are picked & vinified separately to ensure all grapes are picked at its optimum ripeness.

All wines are aged in French oak barriques of which the barrel age is selected to best match the grape tannin structure of the wine after fermentation. Rhone varieties are aged in barrels from coopers in the Burgundy region, while Bordeaux varieties get the slightly hotter roasted barrels from Bordeaux coopers. During this period all reds are tasted and assessed every 3 months. Only those barrels where the fruit intensity is complemented by a deep-rooted structure and that show a clear potential for ageing get selected as potential components for the Flemish Masters range.