Cabernet Franc

Enjoy with lamb ribs on the braai.

This Keermont site high up on the SW side of the Stellenbosch mountain 380m above sea level and looking across to the eastern side of the Helderberg and further afield across Cape Town to Table Mountain, just screamed out to be planted to Cabernet Franc. Cool, clayish, decomposed granite soils too exposed to wind for Merlot. Vertical trellis. 14 yr old vines. Clone CF623 on R110 rootstock. Yield 3 tons/ha. Also a little from our Elevation 393 vineyard. A late, but above average rainfall winter and spring ensured the soil profile was saturated contributing to a good growing season. Intermittent rain meant fungal disease pressure was quite high and we had to be on our toes with the spray programme. There were enough cold units for good even budbreak. A relatively cool growing season and ripening period meant ripening was slow and steady leading to one of the most exceptional vintages we’ve experienced. Good acidity and pHs

Time in barrels 19 months with several rackings to gradually clarify the wine. This wine was bottled unfiltered by hand on the property.

100% destemming and crushing by hand directly into small open top fermentation tanks. Spontaneous natural yeast fermentation @ 29ºC with the cap of skins punched down 2 – 3 times a day for 12 to 14 days. Wine drained directly to barrels together with single pressing from traditional basket press. All our wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in the barrel. 35% new French oak was used from high quality coopers.

A small family winery at the end of the Upper Blaauwklippen Road in the mountains above Stellenbosch South Africa. Established in 1992 by architect David Trafford & artist wife Rita with the focus on high end red wines of great intensity & longevity using minimal intervention production methods.