This modern take on classic Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon is produced from three impressively disparate granitic sites. The vineyards we work with are from the wards of Nuweland, Bottelary and Helderberg, facing southeast, west, and northeast.
Wine of Origin Stellenbosch
| Winemaker: | Jean Smit |
| Cultivar: | 100% Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Origin: | Stellenbosch |
Tasting notes:
A warm, dry summer on granite has given the 2024 Cabernet Sauvignon an intense depth of black fruit, along with a polished frame to carry it.
The nose is overt and deep-set: blackcurrant and cassis pastille first, then violets, with blueberry sitting just behind it. The palate arrives with weight and power: notes of black cherry and blueberry gather around a pure core of cassis. Firm tannins lend a chalky, fine-grained grip, with a graphite line running beneath the fruit, surfacing on a lengthy tail end.
Notes on the 2024 Vintage:
The 2024 season was built on an exceptional winter. Cold, wet conditions ran from the end of the 2023 harvest straight through, and generous winter rain refilled groundwater to capacity. September turned cool and wet again, but from the end of that month through to the middle of February, there was no meaningful rainfall. Daytime temperatures pushed above 35 °C in November, January and February, and harvest began about two weeks earlier than the prior season.
Our two Cabernet vineyards lie on elevated granitic slopes, open to the cooling airflows off False Bay, and 2024 was a year where we appreciated that elevation more than usual. At harvest, fruit came in clean and small-berried. Picking took place between 1 and 8 March, which was mercifully just a couple of days before some untimely rains fell on other Stellenbosch Cabernet vineyards that were planted on heavier soils. Harvest was concluded over a week ahead of the previous vintage.
Vineyards:
Our Damascene Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon comes from two separate vineyards, planted as far back as 2001. These mature vineyards are made up of a combination of clone CS337 and CS46, all based on granitic outcrops 7 km and 16 km from the Atlantic Ocean, respectively.
The vineyard on the edge of Vlottenburg (towards the Polkadraai Hills) has an expansive layer of laterite beneath decomposed granitic topsoil, contributing to a more structured component. Being on a southeastern slope, this site always has a longer ripening period and possesses the highest concentration of tannins.
The Helderberg vineyard faces northeast and produces extremely low yields, adding fruit intensity, concentration, and striking acidity.
Winemaking:
A series of batches were hand-harvested between 1 and 8 March. Bunches were de-stemmed and gravity-fed into tulip-shaped concrete fermenters, where whole berries were cold soaked for three days before primary fermentation commenced. Fermentation temperatures peaked at 28 °C, with pump-overs taking place 2–3 times per day. Spontaneous malolactic conversion took place in 40% new French oak barriques.
The wine was racked twice: once at 11 months (when it transferred to 2000L conical Austrian oak vats) and again two weeks before bottling. The wine spent a total of 21 months in oak to gradually enhance clarity and stability, removing the need for any fining. It then rested a further nine months before release.
Maturation:
This wine will continue to evolve and improve for more than a decade.
Technical:
Total production: 2846 x 750ml and 100 x 1500ml
Bottling date: 4 December 2025
Alc: 13.72 % Vol
pH: 3.52
TA: 5.7 g/L
RS: 1.4 g/L