Platinum Latitude

Fermented separately, berries were crushed and cold-soaked for 24hrs at 12°C, then inoculated with selected yeast that would complement each varietal. The must was fermented in 5 ton open Stainless steel tanks with aerative hand punch downs every 4 hrs to extract all colour and flavour to express the fruit purity and terroir. Fermentation for 7 days at temperatures between 24-30°C after which extended skin maceration followed.

These low-yielding vines are drip-irrigated to ensure optimal ripening and trained on the 5-wire-Perold-trellis system. It’s planted on soils consisting of weathered granite on clay. Vines are planted on north facing slopes. The nearby Atlantic Ocean (False Bay) also has a cooling affect on the vineyards during the ripening season. Stellenbosch had another good winter with sufficient rain and cold for the vines to rest and build up reserves before the start of bud towards September. Cool and mild weather conditions prevailed until end Feb, which pushed the start of harvest out by 14days to the norm. Vineyard stress were minimal and fewer irrigation cycles was needed. End of Feb and through Apr there were a few hot spells broken up by cool days in between. These conditions led to cultivars ripen on their own time. Harvest only finished mid-April and crop yields were normal with the later varietals (Cab/Shiraz) down by 20%. Wine quality was very good overall.

The wine was matured for 18 months in a combination of 300L French oak barrels, of which 45% was new.