Maandans

Grilled flat iron steak with blue cheese butter.

Soil and aspect: Rooted in the oldest viticulture soil in the world, it is made up of well-draining decomposed granite on the lower western slopes of the Helderberg Mountain. Climate: The vineyard enjoys refreshingly cool breezes from False Bay (Atlantic Ocean) during the day and cool air at night flowing down the mountain, resulting in longer ripening of the berries and good natural acidity. The macro climate is maritime, with cold wet winters and sunny warm summers; the Helderberg ward being not only the coolest in the Stellenbosch region, but also the least windy. Vintage conditions, 2017: this was an exceptional vintage for us, although dry, we had a very mild spring and summer with very cool evenings that resulted in early morning dew from the end of January. The vineyard is a 45-year-old bush vine and a heritage block. It only produces about 1.3-1.5 tons from 0.87 hectares, less than 10HL/ha. It is further grown naturally, without the use of any pesticides, herbicides or chemical spray.

This wine has been matured in 50% new and 50% 2nd fill of the best French oak barrels for +-18 months, with a further 12 months in the bottle.

The bunches were meticulously sorted by hand, before fermented naturally for 18 – 20 days and hand punched.

Longridge is one of the leading estates in organic and biodynamic winemaking in the heart of the Cape Winelands near Stellenbosch South Africa. Situated at the foot of the Helderberg mountains we have been blessed with this beautiful piece of land perfect for the production of top quality terroir-driven wine.