Peter Barlow

Pair it with foods that can stand up to its richness, such as a luxurious beef Wellington.

This vintage was impacted by the fourth year of the ongoing drought in the region. The 2017 Winter was cold and dry, followed by a dry Spring and Summer, with bouts of unusual weather. A number of thunderstorms resulted in a late onset of additional vigour in the vineyards. Unsettled weather and wind during flowering, along with a freak hail storm and low levels of soil moisture decreased yields by 20% to 50%. The harvest began closer to its average start date and the smaller berries and bunches yielded lower juice volumes per ton. The lower yields resulted in the wines showing excellent concentration and body, producing rich, robust reds and fruit forward, expressive whites and rosé.

Wine spends 24 Months in 64% new, 36% 2nd and 3rd fill French oak barrels.

The fruit is de-stemmed and crushed with pump overs occuring during fermentation. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks using cultured active dry wine yeast. Extended maceration period of up to 2 weeks.

The Rustenberg Estate was founded in 1682 and is nestled in the valley of the Simonsberg Mountain in South Africa’s premium wine region Stellenbosch. Rustenberg’s rich heritage and ethos has been informed by many centuries of human influence striving to understand and work with nature to produce wines of distinct character true to their terroir variety and informed style.