Asara Bell Tower Estate Wine 2003

This being a true "Big Five" blend, you will find intense aromas of black cherry and cassis combined hints of mocha that are elegantly supported by maturation characteristics. The taste is powerful yet balanced. Ripe fruit flavours and mature tannins are surrounded by fresh acidity to reflect the rewards of careful maturation in small barrels for 24 months. This wine was produced to be enjoyed now and to provide pleasure for years to come.

Ideal with a hearty Osso Buco, venison meats or oak-smoked game birds.

variety : Cabernet Sauvignon [ Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot ]
winemaker : Jan van Rooyen
wine of origin : Stellenbosch
analysis : alc : 14 % vol  rs : 4.8 g/l  pH : 3.56  ta : 6.2 g/l  
type : Red  style : Dry   wooded
pack : Bottle  closure : Cork  

AWARDS
2007 Michelangelo International Wine Awards - Gold
John Platter Wine Guide - 4 Stars

ageing : A subtle marriage between fruit and wood resulted in a well integrated wine that can be enjoyed now until the end of 2013, if cellared correctly.

in the vineyard : The Bell Tower Estate Wine is the flagship wine of Asara Estate for the 2003 vintage. Only our very best goes into the Bell Tower. This year, as always, our aim was to create a wine with superior taste, combining all elements of flavour, suppleness of tannins, richness in colour as well as complexity and balance between fruit and oak. The directive was to come up with a blend that would be more Bordeaux than Bordeaux herself, therefore, more than just Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Using these criteria we chose the very best wines made from all five noble French varieties in the Asara cellar.

in the cellar : Every barrel was tasted and evaluated on its own and the ones with the best flavour, taste and structure were kept separately for final blending. After evaluating the trial blends we were overjoyed to see that the best wine is comprised of each one of the those French noble cultivars, (in order of magnitude, the exact proportions are a secret!) namely Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Merlot. It is our sincere belief that this wine will carry on the proud tradition of the Bell Tower Estate Wine and follows in the footsteps of the previous two Bordeaux blends from the Asara cellar.

At bottling on 7 July 2007 we produced:
800 x 375 ml, 12 700 x 750 ml

find our wines in :

OTHER VINTAGES

Malbec
Malbec
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon