Platinum Shiraz

Berries was crushed and cold-soaked for 24hrs at 15°C, then inoculated with suitable yeast that would complement the varietal. The must was fermented in 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 took 7 days at temperatures between 24-29°C after which extended skin maceration followed.

These 3ha of vines (planted in 2000) are drip-irrigated to ensure optimal ripening and trained on the 5-wire Perold trellis system. Vines are planted in soils consisting of weathered granite on clay and are on north facing slopes. The nearby Atlantic Ocean (False Bay) also has a cooling effect 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 was 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 16months in a combination of 300L French-and American oak barrels, of which 40% was new.