Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Grapes were harvested around end-March from two different clones. Berries were crushed and cold-soaked for about 48hrs and then inoculated with selected yeast to bring out the best of the varietal. Fermented in stainless steel tanks with pump-overs (aeration) every 4 hours to extract flavour and colour from must. Fermentation takes about 5 days at temperatures between 24-28°C.

Vines are drip-irrigated to ensure optimal ripening and trained on the 5-wire Perold trellis system. Planted in soil consisting of weathered granites on clay, the vines are situated on north facing slopes. The nearby Atlantic Ocean (False Bay) has an additional 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 stresses 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 in older 300L French Oak barrels for 12 months.