The dark red colour and big extract reveal a great year for reds. Intense varietal nose with blackcurrant, violets, mint and slight plum. Heavy body, but rounded tannins and fleshy consistency.
This wine is a classical example of a South African Cabernet Sauvignon. It will complement any fine food, especially roasts, venison and red meats, as well as strong, noble cheese.
variety : Cabernet Sauvignon [ 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot ]
winemaker : Edmund Terblanche
wine of origin : Coastal
analysis : alc : 14.38 % vol rs : 3.0 g/l pH : 3.77 ta : 5.6 g/l
type : Red style : Dry body : Full wooded
pack : Bottle closure : Cork
in the vineyard : Origin
This wine originates from vineyards in the Walker Bay (25%), Paarl (20%), Darling (20%), Stellenbosch (20%) and Wellington (15%) regions. Grapes from each of these regions make a unique contribution to the flavour components.
Vintage
The period that preceded the 2007 season was virtually perfect for wine-making purposes, with a cold winter, cool spring-time, welcome early summer rains and a dry January. Few problems were experienced and only routine leaf management and other practices were needed until the end of January, when the Boland was hit by an extended heat wave. This deprived early varietals such as Chardonnay of valuable time on the vine and forced earlier harvesting. Temperatures became mild and allowed Cabernet Sauvignon to ripen gradually. Flavours and analyses were positive, with good acid and pH levels. Grapes were extremely healthy.
Viticulture
Each vineyard has its own macro climate and vineyards grow in a large variety of soil types. All the vineyards are trellised according to the Perold system and managed to maintain a perfect balance between leaf coverage and yield. Thanks to the different terroirs, each region produces its own distinctive grapes, so the grapes from each area make a unique contribution towards flavour and structure.
in the cellar : Before and after de-stalking, the grapes were hand-sorted. In the tank the grapes were cool-soaked for two to three days, followed by inoculation with chosen yeasts. Fermentation was at between 23 and 28 degrees Celsius. The wine was pumped over three times a day. After fermentation, the grapes were left on the lees for a further period of between 20 and 30 days. The wine was matured in 225-litre French oak barrels - 50% new, 25% second-fill and 25% third-fill barrels - for 16 months. After maturation, the content of the best barrels was blended and bottled on 15 November 2008. 9 000 cartons (6 x 750 ml) were released as 2007 La Motte Cabernet Sauvignon.