in the vineyard : The name of this wine derives from the earliest description of the hills of Durbanville. To the 17th century Dutch settlers the indigenous flora with its gold and dark green spots, set against the slopes, recalled the exotic-looking leopard they encountered after arriving at the Cape.
The grapes for this wine were selected from two distinctly different vineyards – one on a sunny, north-facing hill, chosen for the prominent varietal aromas of the grapes and the other a cool, south-facing slope, chosen for the sound structure the grapes would impart to the wine. Each vineyard was separately vinified.
in the cellar : After one day of cold soaking, the must was fermented on the skins for eight days at 29°C until dry and left on the skins for two weeks to allow for extended maceration to soften the texture of the wine.
The fermenting juice was mixed with the skins every two hours to impart an intensity of colour and flavour. Fermentation took place in stainless steel Dizio tanks from Italy. Maximum fruit, colour and tannin extraction from the skins was made possible through continuous computer-regulated pump-over cycles. The fermenting juice was kept in closed, oxygen-poor tanks, while the skins remained fully immersed during the entire fermentation and maceration period. After malolactic fermentation, the wine was matured for 12 months in equal quantities of new, second- and third-fill French oak barrels.