Deluxe Red 2024

Only the best bunches and berries were selected to craft this wine. After fermentation, the most promising wines of each variety were chosen to mature in barrel. Older oak was used for maturation to allow maximum varietal and fruit expression. After 12 months, the finest wines were selected to remain in barrel for an additional six months. This wine is truly about selecting the best-of-the-best.

The 2020 vintage was characterized by generally favourable conditions, improved winter rainfall preceding the growing season and generally mild conditions. This resulted in improved crops in particular in the coastal areas or Swartland, Wellington, Paarl and Stellenbosch. The vintage period was lower in disease pressure than the 2019 vintage but some rainfall during vintage did require careful management. The spring period was unusually warm prompting early bud break and accelerated early growth while, the summer through vintage was mild in terms of temperature with fewer peaks or periods of high temperature. This resulted in an early vintage start and a compressed February finishing earlier than in recent years. Wines show great retention of freshness and flavour with good tannin development and aging potential. We are hugely excited about the quality of the 2020 Vintage.

The wine was matured for 18 months in French oak barrels. A combination of 300L and 500L barrels was used. A 50% portion of the barrels was first-fill.

Grapes are hand-harvested at 24.5–26 °B and cold soaked for two days before being inoculated with yeast. During fermentation, colour/flavour extraction takes place with regular pumpovers every six hours along with two to three manual punchdowns of the grape cap. A maximum temperature of 27°C is reached. On completion of fermentation, a further 10 to 14 days of extended skin maceration takes place before pressing and transferring into 225 L French oak barrels.

Malolactic fermentation is completed in barrel and further maturation takes place over 15 months in 45% 1st fill, 45% 2nd fill and 10% 3rd fill tight- and medium-grain 100% French oak barrels with medium toasting.

Extensive sorting of the grapes formed part of the quality management process. The grapes were de-stemmed with 30% being crushed to give body and structure for added longevity. 70% whole berry fermentation in cooler temperatures of 24°C - 26°C and gentle punch downs ensured subtle extraction of red fruit characters. The Cabernet Sauvignon of the Botmaskop received 4 weeks of maturation on the skin, post ferment.

Severe weather fluctuations during bud break and flowering, followed by cool windy conditions contributed to fewer and uneven bunches and smaller berries. White wines have shown good acidity and balanced flavour profiles while reds, despite the challenging season, have shown elegance. From a selection of premium Stellenbosch vineyards, the grapes were handpicked in the fresh hours of the early morning.

After basket pressing the wine matured in 40% new French oak barrels for 16 months, where partial malolactic fermentation took place.