The King! A variety we never thought we would entertain making until a lovely little site on the Karibib farm showed itself to us. During ripening it just had lovely flavours at a relatively low sugar level. So we made a spur-of-the-minute decision to pick a little bit and make our first Cabernet. Going against what is considered ‘standard operating procedure’, we fermented the grapes with a good percentage of whole bunch (75%) with the remaining destemmed on top.
We love the tannin structure and aromatics the whole bunches can give to a wine and feel it works well with Cabernet. We pressed the grapes a little earlier than complete dryness to make sure the tannins didn’t get to aggressive and finished fermentation in tank. The wine was then matured in neutral 300L barrels for 12 months before bottling.
Vitals
100% Cabernet Sauvignon W.O Stellenbosch
Vineyard: Karibib
Planting Year: 1999
Grown by: Jozua Joubert
Soil: Decomposed granite and clay
Alcohol: 12.51%
pH: 3.65
Total Acidity: 5.12 g/L
Christian Eedes (Winemag): “Attractive aromatics of rose, red and black berries as well as fresh herbs while the palate is medium-bodied with good fruit definition, fresh acidity and fine tannins. Pure and harmonious, this has a compelling urgency about it. 93pts”
