Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon

Terrific with steaks or chops—like lamb chops with frizzled herbs.

To achieve the sophistication that is so alluring in the best vineyards for Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine is grown on some of Stellenbosch’s coolest sites. One parcel of 40-year-old dry farmed bush vine Cabernet Sauvignon is planted in deep alluvial soils of Firgrove, 2 parcels are planted on the slopes of the Helderberg Mountain and another one in the deep decomposed Granite soils of the Polkadraai Hills.

This wine was aged for 20 months in 500L French oak barrels of which 30% was new.

Balance and elegance is paramount to our approach in the vineyard and the winery. The grapes were hand-harvested and destemmed to tanks with only minimal SO2. After about 4 days the indigenous yeast fermentation began and the wine was pigeaged or pumped-over twice a day during this period. Temperatures were not allowed to exceed 28°C and fermentation lasted 10 to 18 days, followed by 3 weeks extended maceration and then drained and pressed to barrels. The wines were racked in the late winter, blended in Spring and bottled after 20 months in barrel.

The Leeu Passant winery, based in Franschhoek, was established in 2013 with the purpose of harnessing the most exciting vineyards of the Cape in order to create multi-regional wines from vineyards aimed at expressing the Cape as a whole (not only from Franschhoek). The Name “Leeu Passant” is derived from Heraldry, referring to a ‘passing Lion’ and this is the symbol on the top of the capsule. Chris and Andrea Mullineux search far and wide for the best parcels of grapes for these wines, and make them at the Leeu Passant base, on Leeu Estates.