in the vineyard : viticulturist: Eben Archer
Grapes were sourced from two vineyards on the estate, the one called Jakkalskloof (Jackal’s Ravine) and the other Bobbejaanberg (Baboon Mountain). These names recall earlier days when jackals and baboons still roamed the property.
Both vineyards are situated 250 m to 300 m above sea level and face north-west. The vines, planted towards the end of the 1980s, are grafted on to nematode-resistant Richter 99 rootstock and grow in soils of decomposed granite. They are trellised on a seven-wire system and received supplementary irrigation during the growing season. The yield from both vineyards was 4 tons per hectare, which further enhanced the quality and complexity of the fruit.
in the cellar : No skin contact was allowed and only the free-run juice was used. Fermentation, which took eight days, was started with pure yeast cultures whereafter the wine was transferred to wood, where it was left on the lees for nine months in new (42%), second-fill (35%) and third-fill oak barrels (23%). Some 70% of the barrels were from France and the rest from America (16%) and Hungary (14%). Two thirds of the wine underwent malolactic fermentation. During the maturation period the lees was stirred every 2 weeks.