Colour: Dark ruby.
Bouquet: Aromas of white pepper, violets and plum with a hint of white pepper.
Taste: Medium-bodied, soft-textured, mouth-filling with spicy and smoky oak flavours that linger on the aftertaste.
The winemaker recommends serving this with robust dishes such as game poultry, venison and red meats.
in the vineyard : Seven leading vineyard owners in the Durbanville Hills district joined together to create Durbanville Hills together with Distell in order to promote the regional individuality of this prime wine growing area, which boasts a temperate climate, with Atlantic sea breezes cooling the vines during the summer months. Grapes for this brand, which has already attracted widespread positive attention both in South Africa and abroad, are sourced only from these growers, all of whom fall under the limited appellation of Durbanville. All member vineyards subscribe to IPW (Integrated Production of Wine) growing practices, designed to sustain natural resources. They are dryland vineyards, encouraging a process of natural selection. In addition, a meticulous crop control is applied to further limit yields and promote concentration of varietal flavour.
Winemaker Martin Moore uses highly advanced cellar technology to ensure optimal extraction of colour and flavour.
The vineyards (viticulturist: Bennie Liebenberg)
The unique character of this wine lies in the influence of the different vineyards from which the grapes were sourced. The grapes were selected from various north-east facing, low-yield vineyards, mostly located around 250 m above sea level and grown in deep red soils with good water retention properties.
The 2005 was an excellent vintage, problem free with good quality fruit , producing fleshy mild- tannined red wines.
about the harvest: The grapes were hand harvested between 24° and 25° Balling in late February, just before shrivelling set in, when the tannins and fruit had reached optimum ripeness.
in the cellar : After cold maceration, the grapes were fermented and given extended maceration. 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 oxygen-poor tanks, which remained closed, whilst the skins remained fully immersed during the entire fermentation and maceration period. After malolactic fermentation, the wine was matured for 12 months in small wood, using a combination of 10% new, 20% second and 50% third-fill French oak with 20% matured in stainless steel tanks.