in the vineyard : Origin
The wine is a blend of 53% Shiraz, 30% Grenache and 17% Mourvèrde. The Shiraz component is from Wellington (80%) and Walker Bay (20%) while the Grenache and Mourvèrde originate from Darling.
Vintage
The period that proceding the 2007 harvest was virtually perfect for wine-making purposes - a cold winter, cool spring-time, welcome early summer rains and a dry Januray. Few problems were encountered and only routine leaf management and other practices were required until the end of January, when the Boland was hit by an extended heat wave. Temperatures became mild again and allowed the Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvèrde gardual ripening. Flavours and analyses were good, with good acid and ph levels. Grapes were also exceptionally healthy.
Viticulture
The vineywards all have unique macro climates and grow in a large variety of soil types. Different clones are represented. All the vineyards are trellised according to the Perold system and managed to be perfectly balanced in leaf cover and yield. Thanks to the different terroirs, each area produces grapes with specific characteristics, allowing the grapes from each area to make a unique contribution in flavour and structure. As a result of intensive harvest control after the uneven budding, yield was less than six tons per hectare.