Simonsig Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

Deep garnet red colour. The nose shows bright red currant and black mulberry fruit backed by cedary oak tones. Spicy, vanilla flavours unfold on the palate with cigar box and a hint of pencil shavings, so typical of Cabernet Sauvignon. Full bodied with a smooth tannin structure holding lots of promise for further improvement with careful cellaring.

Rare Roast Beef, Leg of Lamb or Cheese.

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variety : Cabernet Sauvignon [ 100% Cabernet Sauvignon ]

winery : Simonsig Wine Estate

winemaker : Johan Malan

wine of origin : Stellenbosch

analysis : alc : 14.0 % vol rs : 2.17 g/l pH : 3.59 ta : 5.6 g/l

type : Red wooded

pack : Bottle closure : Cork

AWARDS

1990: Veritas 1994 - Double Gold
1992: Veritas 1996 - Double Gold
1996: Veritas 1998 - Gold, SAA Winelist 1999 - International Long Haul
1998: Wine Enthusiast: Special Annual Awards Issue listed as one of the Top 100 Wines of the Year â€“ 93 points
2000: 2003 - SAA Business Class
2002: Veritas 2006 - Gold

ageing : Soft and perfectly drinkable now but should benefit from further ageing over the next 4 to 5 years.

in the vineyard : Simonsig has been producing Cabernet Sauvignon since 1976 and achieved early success when the 1977 vintage won the General Smuts trophy after being judged as the Champion Wine of South Africa. Simonsig replanted and expanded its planting of Cabernet Sauvignon over the last decade and it now has mature vineyards planted with the best clones available in South Africa. These shy bearing vineyards are planted on deep red weathered granite and shale soils with high moisture holding capacity. This minimises the need for irrigation and gives great concentration of flavour. Our terroir in Stellenbosch has proved over many years to be the best area in SA to grow the finest quality red wines.

The 2003 vintage was very good in terms of quality and quantity, especially after downy mildew destroyed a large part of the 2002 crop. A cold winter with sufficient rains was followed by a healthy dry growing season. Cool conditions caused slow evenly paced ripening. The effects of our Cabernet Sauvignon planting program over the last few years made a positive impact on the quality of Cabernet Sauvignon this vintage. The quality coming from these young healthy vines is exciting and it is showing a lot of promise for the future.

about the harvest: Some of the late ripening Cabernetâ€™s were picked after the rain of 23 March. Fortunately the favourable dry conditions that followed allowed the sugars to get back to 24/25 ÂºBalling with deep colour and ripe tannins.

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