Colour: Dark red.
Bouquet: Ripe berries with dried fruit backed by vanilla and oak aromas.
Taste: Full-bodied with a well-rounded feel with the backbone of ripe tannins and a long peppery finish.
As a young red it is perfect to chill lightly and serve at lunch, or it will partner well with more robustly flavored dishes. Lamb shank, stuffed lamb shoulder and pork with crackling are ideal to bring out the best in this lively, yet serious wine.
variety : Cabernet Sauvignon [ 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Shiraz ]
winemaker : Guy Webber
wine of origin : Coastal
analysis : alc : 14.03 % vol rs : 2.5 g/l pH : 3.68 ta : 5.71 g/l
type : Red style : Dry body : Medium taste : Fruity wooded
pack : Bottle closure : Cork
in the vineyard : Background
The farm Uitkyk, situated on the south western slopes of the Simonsberg, was established in 1712. The estate's neo-classical manor house, completed in 1788, is thought to be the work of the French architect Louis Michel Thibault, who was active at the Cape at the end of the 18th century.
Vineyard Location
Both these cultivars are cultivated on the estate in deep, red, decomposed granite soil.
The Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from two blocks and the vines, planted between 1988 and 1992, are well established. Different slopes and different altitudes ranging from 250 - 300 metres above sea level were chosen for the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes to gain maximum complexity. Some of the blocks are grown under dryland conditions and others are given supplementary irrigation when necessary.
The Shiraz component is also sourced from different blocks, some dating back to 1971 and more recently to 1995. These dryland vineyards all face north at 200 - 300 metres above sea level.
The vines of both cultivars are grafted on nematode-resistant rootstocks (Jacquez and R110) and pruned to optimise yield and quality. The Cabernet Sauvignon yielded 5 tons/ha and the Shiraz 6 tons/ha.
Viticulturist: Eben Archer
in the cellar : The two varieties were fermented separately in a combination of rotation tanks and open fermentors at 26° - 28° C until dry. Pure yeast cultures (NT112, NT50, L2056, D254) were used and the fermentation finished in 5-8 days.
After pressing, the Cabernet was transferred to stainless steel tanks for malolactic fermentation; thereafter it was racked before being transferred to 300 litre barrels for a 16-month maturation period.
The Shiraz was transferred to barrels before malolactic fermentation was completed, thereafter racked twice during the maturation period of 18 months.
Mainly French wood was used (77%), but also American wood (23%). A combination of new barrels (50%), second-fill (9%) and third-fill barrels (41%) were used.