The Patriarch Cabernet Franc

Hand-harvested grapes are destemmed and meticulously sorted to ensure that only the ripest berries enter the fermentation vessel. The chilled fruit is allowed to soak overnight to extract colour, tannins, and fruit flavours from the juice. As fermentation begins, the cap is plunged into the fermenting juice once a day, increasing to six times daily. After reaching the midpoint of fermentation, the frequency of punch downs is reduced to one or two per day. After approximately 15 days of skin contact, the wine is drained and pressed to 0.4 bar. Given the small volume, the wine is aged in 300 ℓ French oak barriques to complete malolactic fermentation.

These Cabernet Franc grapes are grown on the slopes of the Helderberg Mountain where the vines are nourished by abundant sunlight, rich weathered granite soils and cool False Bay sea breezes that funnel in through the valley. The vines are slow to ripen, encouraging flavour development and ideal varietal character.

The maturation process lasts 12 to 16 months, during which the wine is racked and returned about three times to soften the tannins and enhance the natural bouquet.