Elevation 393

Ideal with a variety of fine, roasted red meat dishes.

The site has deep granitic based soil that’s rich in iron which gives substantial mid palate weight to the two Cabernets as well as ideal clay content that helps store moisture through our long summer droughts. The slopes are steep enough to shed excess moisture when we do receive more rain than we want, and in fact 2019 did benefit from this. Apart from the great site, one of the unique characteristics of this vineyard is that the rows are narrow - 1,8m wide - with a higher that usual planting density. This means fewer bunches per vine, a more open canopy with smaller loose bunches allowing plenty of soft dappled sunlight to ripen the grapes. We get small, concentrated berries that are fully ripe without losing freshness and a good natural acidity. I love the 2019 vintage and feel it’s the most underrated of the decade. Regular rainfall and low day and night temperatures during the ripening period meant there was no water stress, and ripening was gentle and slow. A challenging but exciting vintage with a restrained, elegant style.

Mostly small new French oak matured for 21 months. Bottled by hand, unfined and unfiltered, on the property.

Handpicked. Destemmed. Small open top fermenters with cap punched down. Natural yeast fermentation. Traditional hand basket press.

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.