Colour: Dark ruby.
Bouquet: Raspberry, blackcurrant and red berry fruits, with cigar box supported by delicate vanilla oak.
Taste: A full–bodied wine with soft tannins that create a good structure and a long finish. Characteristic flavours of lead pencil shavings, pine needles and forest floor result in an impressive wine.
Serve with any red meat dish. Enjoy on its own with mature, hard, yellow cheeses.
in the vineyard : Background
This 163-hectare estate with the optimistic name of Le Bonheur ("Happiness") is situated along the slopes of the Klapmuts Hill in the northern reaches of the Simonsberg Mountain, in the Stellenbosch Wine of Origin district. Klapmuts is the old Dutch word for the 18th century cocked hat that folded away into the saddle back pocket, and indeed, when observed from a distance, the hill resembles such a hat.
Le Bonheur was an important venue for travelers in the Cape, offering fresh spring water and an outspan area at the major junction of Cape Town, Paarl, Stellenbosch and Malmesbury. Today Le Bonheur draws wine lovers who are content to sip fine quality wines and enjoy the seemingly timeless atmosphere of the estate.
Le Bonheur has an enviable terroir. Most of the 65 hectares of vineyards face north, while a few face east and southeast. The vineyards are situated at different altitudes from 200m to 350m above sea level, and each has its own, unique soil characteristics. There are four basic soil types at Le Bonheur: decomposed granite, red loam, sand, and sand over pot clay.
Vineyard Location
Grapes were sourced from northeasterly facing vineyard blocks on the estate located 200m to 350m above sea level. The vineyards are between the ages of 9 and 28 years old and are cultivated under dry land conditions.
Viticulturist: Eben Archer
in the cellar : Once the grapes had been crushed, the mash was cooled and fermentation took place at 28° C over 8 days. Upon completion of malolactic fermentation the wine was matured in 300-litre French oak barrels for 18 months.