Chronicle Cape Blend

Beef, Game (deer, venison), Poultry

2020 was a good year all round. Yields were up on 2019. Spring through to midsummer was warm and dry, with ripeness across the board being achieved easily. Winter rains arrived a early which hurried the harvesting of the Cabernet Sauvignon slightly. The 2020 Chronicle is Merlot driven (45%) with the balance made up of Syrah, Pinotage and Cabernet Sauvignon. 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, and combination thereof, result in a unique, complex wine.

Maturation in cement tanks with each of the other components being matured in barrel for one year before blending and maturation for another year in in the same barrels. 24 months maturation in total. 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.