Petit Verdot

Winter 2011 was colder than usual, but with average rainfall resulting in excellent, even bud-break. We had good growth in spring, but poor weather (cold and rain) over the flowering period resulting in uneven flowering and berry set. We paid extra attention to green harvesting to help make up for this. Disease pressure was managed with well-timed sprays and open, small canopies. January was exceptionally hot, which really jolted the vines into ripeness. The ripening period of February and March was much cooler and close to perfect, with not much rain, and we’re extremely satisfied with the 2012 vintage.

30% new 225L French oak was used from high quality coopers. Time in barrels 30 months. 

100% destemming and crushing by hand directly into small open top fermentation tanks. Spontaneous natural yeast fermentation at 28ºC with the cap of skins punched down twice a day for 15 days. Wine drained directly to barrels together with single pressing from traditional basket press. All our wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in the barrel. This wine was bottled unfiltered by hand on the property.

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.