Grand Classique Vertical Collection

As the grapes were hand-picked and hand sorted, a process of minimal intervention followed. All the components were barrel matured for 18 months in 225 litre barriques. Gentle handling ensured the wine was kept as natural as possible with frequent punch downs and skin contact of 30 days. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc makeup more than 85% of the blend with Malbec and Petit Verdot adding the “salt & pepper’’ excitement.

“Although the soil types differ between the sites, all have some form of decomposed granite over structured clay subsoil allowing for ample drainage and water retention. The trellised vines are pruned to 2 bud spurs, with 16 - 18 bearers per meter, and we harvest approximately 8 tons/ha”. Marius Cloete (viticulturist)

All the components were barrel matured for 18 months in 225 litre barriques.

The varieties were de-stemmed and not crushed. Whole berry fermentation and gentle punch downs ensured extra care, with extended skin contact of 30 days after fermentation on each lot.

Despite the significant difficulties of the preceding years of drought, a cooler ripening period and smaller crops produced berries with concentrated flavour and intense colour providing wines of notable quality. The grapes were handpicked in the early hours of the morning during which the first phase of sorting commenced.

Only the wine recovered from a light pressing was then matured in 50% new and 50% seasoned French oak barrels for 18 months, where malolactic fermentation took place. Each component of this blend was kept separate until the final stages of blending.

The five grape varieties used in this blend ripen at different times and were harvested at around 24° Balling. Hand-sorted and destemmed once arrived at the cellar, each varietal was vinified separately and fermented on the skins for between seven to thirty days at 22°C in closed stainless-steel tanks.

The 2023 harvest was off to a good start due to good winter rains and full dams, which provided a solid foundation for the harvest season ahead. As a result, our grapes ripened slower than usual, leading to more even ripening, concentrated flavours and mature fruit tannin. This wine is made from grapes grown on vines aged between 10 and 25 years, in mainly decomposed granite soil. The grapes were handpicked in the early hours of the morning, with extensive sorting in the vineyard and the cellar.

Malolactic fermentation took place in barrel, racked once and matured in 50% new and 50% seasoned French oak barrels for 18 months.