The First Lady Cabernet Sauvignon 1.5L

This wine pairs well with grilled ribeye steak, lamb chops with mint sauce, mushroom risotto, aged cheddar cheese, and dark chocolate desserts.

Grapes for this wine are sourced from vineyards in the Stellenbosch region of South Africa, known for its diverse terroir and favorable climate for Cabernet Sauvignon. Specific vineyard details for the 2022 vintage are not provided.

The wine is aged for 12 months using various types of oak barrels, none of which are new, to enhance complexity without overpowering the fruit character.

After harvesting, grapes are destemmed and fermented in stainless steel tanks. The wine spends between 7 and 14 days on the skins, depending on tannin structure, with three to four pump-overs per day. Post-fermentation, the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in tank.

Warwick Estate lies in a valley enclosed by the Simonsberg Kanonkop and Klapmutskop. Originally part of a vast piece of land known as Good Success this eighteenth century farm belonged to Colonel Alexander Gordon who renamed his portion in honour of the Warwickshire regiment which he commanded during the Boer War. Years later in 1964 Stan Ratcliffe bought Warwick where with considerable foresight he began planting the precious Cabernet Sauvignon vines which are still a major part of the production today. These vines produced high quality grapes and became highly sought after by wholesalers and other wineries. However it took the arrival of Norma Ratcliffe Stan's beautiful and energetic wife in 1971 for the family to begin making a few experimental wines from Cabernet Sauvignon. The early results were very encouraging and served to extol the virtues of what is surely some of the best terroir in South Africa. Michael Ratcliffe Norma's son has now taken over as proprietor in Stan's retirement and has wasted no time in stamping his personality on the Estate. A host of new innovative techniques learnt during his postgraduate wine studies in Australia are being implemented aimed at maximizing the potential of the Warwick terroir. Under Michael's leadership the Warwick team is striving to take the next step in quality.