Lady at the Water Rose

The grapes were hand-harvested at 04:00 and delivered to the cellar in 15 kg lug boxes before being chilled to 4°C. The fruit was destemmed and crushed, with 1–2 hours of skin contact allowed prior to separation. Only free-run juice was used to avoid extracting any harsh or bitter tannins. Fermentation took place in stainless-steel tanks at 16°C using selected yeast strains, lasting approximately two weeks. After fermentation, the wine was racked off the lees, sulphured, and prepared for bottling through crossflow filtration followed by a coarse sheet filter. Bottling occurred on 10 June 2025.

This young vineyard came into production for the first time this year and marks the estate’s first Shiraz planted on Koffieklip soil. This will aid in naturally reducing the berry size, encourage thicker skins and enhance overall fruit concentration. The block remained completely free of powdery and downy mildew throughout the season. Pruning took place on 25 July, followed by two suckering passes and two tipping rounds. Due to the naturally open canopy, no leaf break was required.