Big Easy Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé

This light and refreshing wine, is great as an aperitif or enjoy with salmon sashimi, delicate fish dishes and salad niçoise.

The 2022 vintage will definitely be remembered as the year where we had good fruit set. After pruning, budburst came about two weeks later than expected. This resulted in flowering occurring in a period with cooler temperatures. More berries per vine means a good balance between reproductive and vegetative growth, and, because we restrict pruning to allow for a certain tonnage per hectare, we don’t overburden the leaves. Mild conditions allowed the vines to catch up nicely with warm days after veraison. The heat before harvest is very important for the development of red cultivars and especially for the premium quality of our Cabernet Sauvignon. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Cinsault grapes were harvested from individually-selected, low-yielding trellised vines from northwest-facing vineyards within the Stellenbosch appellation. With an altitude of 140 to 270 meters above sea level, together with the cooling influence of the Atlantic Ocean, the ripening period can be extended, resulting in wines with phenolic ripeness.

After fermentation is complete the rosé wine is transferred to old barrels for a 3-month period and left on its fine lees. Before bottling the wine is racked from the barrels, stabilized and filtered to ensure a fresh and aromatic wine in bottle.

Hand-picked grapes arrive at the winery in the mornings. The whole bunches are transferred straight into the membrane press. This whole bunch press action helps to preserve fruit and floral aromas while preventing the extraction of phenols or tannins from the skins. The pressed juiced is settled and racked before being inoculated for fermentation.

As one of South Africa's leading ambassadors and one of the most recognizable faces in the world of sport it is befitting that Ernie chose Stellenbosch to produce his wines. In 1999 the concept of Ernie Els Wines was born and with the help of award-winning winemaker Louis Strydom they produced the maiden 2000 vintage of Ernie Els - a 'classic' Bordeaux blend. The intention from the outset was to focus on delivering a quality product that could hold its own in the company of the world's finest wines.