Chronicle Cape Blend

Beef, Game (deer, venison), Poultry

2019 was the first post-drought vintage, while there was definitely a hangover from the previous dry years the vines recovered well and gave some amazing grapes. The summer up to harvest was dry and mild which made for great ripening conditions the first grapes were harvested on the 14th of February. 17 vineyard blocks over 55 hectares and 8 soil types. The vines vary in age, from 10 to 26 years old. The soils near the top of the estate are shallow and very well drained where the lower slopes tend to have deeper, richer soils. This variation in terroir and varieties result in a unique, complex wine.

Each component is then matured separately in barrel for one year before blending and maturation for another year in barrel. 24 months in total in barrel with 30% new and the remainder being 2nd and 3rd fill. Unfined and unfiltered.

All blocks are harvested and vinified separately. Spontaneous fermentation. The Syrah component undergoes carbonic maceration.

“We would like people who drink our wines to experience the estate our soils our slopes our vines and our terroir. Wine should be experienced and not merely drunk and we endeavour to make every bottle of our wine a memorable experience. We believe wine is made in the vineyards and our goal is to allow the vineyards to express themselves by interfering as little as possible. As a result we have adopted a minimalist approach in both the vineyards and the cellar. The idea being to minimalise the human influence on the final product. In the vineyards we do everything by hand from pruning to harvesting. We are also proud members of the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative and of the Integrated Production of Wine Scheme. We have set aside 30% of the estate and dedicated it to the Western Capes indigenous flora and fauna. The goal in the cellar is to facilitate the production of wine from grapes and not merely manufacture wine. This is again done by following the minimalist approach of nothing added apart from a small amount of SO2 prior to bottling. All grapes are hand sorted in the cellar to remove m.o.g. (material other than grapes) and unripe grapes before they go to tank. Wild or naturally occurring yeasts are allowed to ferment the grapes before the wine is drained off the skins and allowed to mature in French oak barrels before being racked and bottled.