Old Vine Cinsault

Chicken Chasseur with rustic crusty-bread and green salad.

Harvested from a 1954 dryland farmed bush vine in Agter- Paarl, planted on Malmesbury Shale. Between Paarl, Malmesbury and Durbanville lies the fertile Agter Paarl area, here the summers are hot and dry, with colder wet winters. The farmers rely entirely on rainfall to quench the rich and fertile soil. The cool sea breezes that flow in from both the Indian and Atlantic oceans act as an effective antidote to the scorching sun, to keep the ripening grapes at an optimal temperature required to produce truly great wines. The 2023, old bush vine Cinsault harvest in Agter-Paarl was defined by a smaller, high-quality crop resulting from a cooler, drier vintage. The season enabled slow ripening and intense fruit concentration, with smaller berry sizes ensuring excellent tannin structure. The resulting wines are marked by bright red berry aromatics and elegance and freshness. The 2023 Cinsaults are aromatic, textured & considered a standout vintage for its quality despite lower yields.

Matured in 4th fill 500 li French Oak barrel and concrete egg for 18 months.

Fermented in open top fermenters with a combination of 2 - 3 gentle punch downs or pump overs per day. Destemmed with 20 % whole bunch fermentation.

Growing up on my family’s sheep farm near Sutherland in the arid Karoo I spent hours exploring the veld with my canine companion. We enjoyed the simple pleasures of farm life and Nature has always been in my blood. With my passion for the outdoors combined with an affinity for Maths and Science I had my sights set on studying medicine and enrolled for a Bachelor of Science degree at Stellenbosch University. It was here that the wine bug bit. After graduating from Stellenbosch University with a BSc and BSc Honours in Wine Biotechnology in 1998 I was appointed as Assistant Winemaker at Kleine Zalze in Stellenbosch in 1999. Completing harvest tenures in Sancerre St Emilion and Beziers France I gained an appreciation for the balance and elegance of the wines of these regions. Following my time at Kleine Zalze I accepted a winemaker position at Graham Beck Wines in 2005. After a brief stint under the mentorship of Charles Hopkins then-Cellar Master at Franschhoek I found myself the sole winemaker in a world class cellar and living my dream. Drawing on my extensive training and rewarding career as a winemaker and marketer with invaluable experience locally and abroad I took a leap of faith and started my own label in 2016.