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After harvesting, the bunches were carefully sorted to facilitate a 30% whole bunch fermentation. The whole bunch part was carefully stomped with a feminine touch (aka, Misha, our assistant winemaker’s feet). After 2 days cold soak natural fermentation started followed by gentle pump overs and grapes were pressed when dry.

Malo-lactic fermentation and maturation took place in experienced barrels and the wine was bottled in November 2025.

Produced with meticulous care and attention, grapes were de-stemmed and partially crushed, combining punch downs and pump overs at cooler temperatures between 24°C and 26°C. The wine was left on the skin post ferment for between four and six weeks at 16°C.

Severe weather fluctuations during bud break and flowering, followed by cool, windy conditions, contributed to fewer uneven bunches and smaller, more concentrated berries. The previous year’s post-harvest period was characterised by exceptionally hot and dry conditions, which led to early leaf fall, especially in early ripening cultivars. Grapes were handpicked in the cool early hours of the morning from Delaire Graff Estate’s virus-free mountain vineyards, which were planted in 2001. All grapes were extensively hand-sorted to ensure only the best quality were used for winemaking.

Matured in 80% new French oak barrels for 16 months.

The grapes were harvested at 24° to 25º Balling during February and March. On arrival at the cellar, the fruit was gently crushed and fermented on the skins in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks at 24ºC to 27ºC for 14 days.

The grapes were sourced from top-performing vineyards situated predominantly in the Stellenbosch, Philadelphia, Paarl and Wellington wine-growing areas. The vines are grown in granite and shale soils, resulting in grapes with a higher natural acidity and resulting freshness. Open vineyard canopies bring about greater sunlight penetration of the grape bunches, contributing to a well-balanced acidity, in turn contributing to better tannin structure and fruit expression as well as deeper colour intensity.

Upon completion of malolactic fermentation, the wine was matured in contact with mostly French and some American oak for a period of 12 to 15 months.

Fermentation initiated in stainless steel tanks and underwent a series of pump overs until dry. Further maceration allowed before drawing off and light pressing.

The Grapes are specifically sourced from south-west facing slopes of some of the coolest sites in Stellenbosch. These vineyards are also influenced by southerly breezes during the summer months which have a beneficial effect. Trellised vineyards planted in decomposed granite soils from the Bottelary Hills and Jonkershoek valley. Grapes were harvested between 24.5°B and 25.5°B with a total acid of 6.8 – 7.1 g/l and a pH of 3.4-3.6

The wine spent 17 months in French oak barrels of which 30% was new. The balance in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fill barrels.

The whole berries are gravity-fed to 3.5ton wooden vats where a cold-soak is completed over 6 days at temperatures of between 14° and 16°C. The fermentation was allowed to start naturally and after five days the wine was inoculated with selected strains of Burgundian yeast to ensure a complete fermentation. During the fermentation, the skin cap was punched through by hand twice a day. After fermentation and pressing, the wine is transferred to French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and maturation. (19% new, 25% 2nd and the balance 3rd, fill.)

Currently there are 21.96 hectares planted to Pinot noir on the estate, clones include 667, 777, 113, 115 and PN5. The oldest vines were planted in 1990 and the youngest blocks in 2021; the vines range in age from 3 to 34 years. The soil is predominantly decomposed Bokkeveld Shale with underlying clay layers of varying depths. Vine orientation is North/South on Northeast and South facing slopes and Northwest/Southeast on the South facing slopes. Height above sea level ranges from 280 to 400 meters. Only Burgundian clones (667, 113,115 and 777) are used. Grapes are sorted in the vineyard and again at the winery before destemming.

Maturation in oak was for 12 months. After tasting and blending trials, the wine was racked (displaced using Nitrogen gas rather than pumping), assembled and prepared for bottling.

Our red blend brings together Shiraz, Carignan, and Mourvèdre, each tended and vinified with respect for its own voice. The fruits were cooled overnight, then rested in a patient 3 to 4 day cold soak to draw out colour and fragrance. Shiraz and Mourvèdre were fermented as whole bunches, carrying elevated aromatics and firm structure. Carignan was destemmed to preserve purity of fruit and balance. Fermentation ran three weeks before the wine was pressed and transferred to barrel and concrete, where it completed its natural course.

Our red blend carries both a sense of history and the energy of youth. Its vines span generations - some planted in 1976, others as recently as 2013 - their roots sunk deep into the weathered granite of the Paardeberg. Old trunks lend gravitas, young shoots bring vitality. Together they meet, converging lines of age and origin, shaping the posture of the wine. The 2024 season opened with a pivotal sign: one of the wettest winters on record, filling dams and saturating soils with promise. Then came silence - spring passed with scarcely a drop of rain. By harvest, the land itself seemed to hold its breath, vines drawing on hidden reserves with quiet endurance. Out of that restraint emerged fruit of striking concentration and balance, a reminder that absence can be as formative as abundance. Harvest stretched from 22 January to 23 February 2024

Maturation followed three paths: A fifth of the share in new barrels, another in concrete for freshness and tension, and the remainder in seasoned barrels. The first blend came together in June 2024, giving the components time to knit as one. A second blending in January 2025 was followed by six months in tank, allowing harmony to deepen before bottling. Our barrels are made by small family coopers in Austria and Italy, masters in the craft who select each tree by hand throughout Europe. Their work, like ours, is rooted in patience and respect, shaping not by force, but with quiet intentionality.