Barrel Selection Timeless

Can’t compliment anything better than a fillet of beef or rack of lamb – this is a wine not for the faint hearted and not for faint food.

The grapes used for this wine are harvested from a combination of trellised Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc vines from the Helderberg, Bottelary and Devon Valley areas.

Grapes are picked between 24 and 25 Balling, crushed and allowed to cold macerate for anything between 2 – 4 days. The juice is inoculated with French yeast strains and fermented on the skins for at least 14 – 20 days with periods of hotter fermentation (29°C) and periods of colder fermentation (20°C). This does not only create a larger extraction of fruit and tannin, but also an array of flavours through different fermentation temperatures. The Cab Sauv and Franc and Merlot partially finish malolactic fermentation in barrels and are matured separately on the fermentation lees for 18 months after which it is blended and allowed another 6 months blended barrel maturation time.

Stellenrust is a Stellenbosch producer working with nearly 400 hectares of vineyards across the Helderberg and Bottelary Hills. Known for Chenin Blanc and a broad range of South African wines, the estate focuses on matching varieties to site and capturing the character of Stellenbosch’s diverse soils and slopes.