Shiraz

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

The fruit was carefully handpicked in three batches, with the first batch ripening in Paarl. It was fermented for two weeks in closed conical shape tanks using the more delicate aerated pump-over method, ensuring softer tannins, delicate spicy flavours and deep colour. The second and third batches from Firgrove were separately fermented using the pneumatic punch-down method four times a day to produce more robust tannins with excellent structure and concentration. The three batches were then blended and allowed to undergo natural malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks before being racked three times and transferred into Oak barrels.

The 2018 vintage was affected by the worst drought conditions ever experienced in the Western Cape. Meticulous irrigation management supplied the precise quantity of water at the correct times to the vines. During such dry conditions diseases are restricted, resulting in the 2018 crop being entirely disease-free. Furthermore, it resulted in our winemaking team having to preserve the grapes’ aromatic po- tential through careful viticultural practices such as limited thinning, managing nitrogen nourishment, allowing adequate plant vigour, ap- propriate water supply and careful selection of harvest dates.

Barrel maturation took place over a period of 13 months in 10% new American Oak, 10% in new French Oak and 80% in second and third fill French Oak barrels.