Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon

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

The Cabernet Sauvignon for this wine comes from a 300m elevated site in one of Stellenbosch’s coolest viticultural areas. Planted on the mid-slopes of iron- and sandstone-rich soils of the Helderberg Mountain, this parcel naturally achieves the sophistication that is so alluring in our style of Cabernet Sauvignon. Maintaining balance and elegant concentration is paramount to our approach in the vineyards so that the terroir translates through to the final wine with perfection. The grapes were harvested between the 11th and 16th of March 2021 with a yield of four to six tons per hectare, which translated to 32 to 38 hectolitre per hectare.

Our 2021 Leeu Passant Cabernet Sauvignon was first matured in 500L French oak barrels, of which a third were new, then racked and blended into larger format oak for another 15 months prior to bottling.

Upon arrival at the Leeu Passant winery in Franschhoek, the cool grapes were destemmed to tanks with only minimal sulphur added. After indigenous yeast fermentation started, the wine saw daily pumped-overs and temperatures were managed to stay below 26°C. This process lasted approximately two weeks, followed by extended maceration. The wine was then drained and pressed to barrels until the latter part of the winter.

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.