Produced with fruit from two hilltop sites in the Bottelary ward. This bottling expresses all the concentration and nervous tension that comes from the sites’ extremely rocky granitic soils.
Wine of Origin Stellenbosch
| Winemaker: | Jean Smit |
| Cultivar: | 100% Cabernet Franc |
| Origin: | Bottelary, Stellenbosch |
Tasting notes:
A delightfully nimble expression of the cultivar. The vanguard leads with an expressive array of red cherry, violets, blackcurrant, and deeper blueberry; all gilded by a graphite frame. The sweeter notes are countered by savoury elements of roasted red plum tomato and fresh thyme. The palate carries an evolution of its own; opening with cherry fruit and strawberries, followed by a rising raspberry tartness, and touches of sweeter toffee apple candy. On pouring, it brims with tension, unfurling with time in the glass.
Notes on the 2023 Vintage:
Cold units in winter were lower than 2022, but they were sufficient for a healthy dormancy period. Winter rains dried up earlier than usual, but the vines didn’t seem to mind, and budded on schedule. Things went smoothly until December, when untimely thunderstorms delivered a water-borne burst of vegetative energy to the vines, turning manageable canopies into veritable jungles. This had the effect of boosting disease pressure and depleting vine reserves. Veraison hit early, prompting us to strap on our seatbelts for a speed race into an early harvest…only to then to hit a traffic jam of cool weather, which slowed everything right down. As was the case in 2022, those of us who were in the vineyards frequently managed to goose step our way to victory.
Vineyards:
This trellised Bottelary vineyard was planted with the CF1 Cabernet Franc clone in 2004. This site is 16.5km north of False Bay and 22.5km east of Table Bay, so the ocean effects are considerable; an influence that you pick up quite clearly in the wine. The combination of the vineyard’s cooler east-facing aspect, decomposed granite soils, and 225m altitude, enables this low-yielding vineyard to produce smaller bunches, with incredible concentration, and structure.
Winemaking:
Grapes were hand-harvested on 15 March, 2023, at a ripeness of 23.9˚B. Bunches were de-stemmed and gravity fed into tulip-shaped concrete fermenters, where whole berries were cold-soaked for three days, prior to primary fermentation. Pump-overs took place up to 3 times per day, with fermentation temperatures peaking at 28˚C. Spontaneous malolactic conversion took place during the 11 months of maturation in 1000-litre French oak vats. The wine was racked just once, 2 weeks before bottling.
Maturation:
This wine will be at its most expressive between 3 and 5 years.
Technical:
Total production: 3439 x 750ml and 55 x 1.5L
Bottling date: 16 January 2024
Alc: 13.21 % Vol
pH: 3.6
TA: 5.5 g/L
RS: 1.1 g/L