Alto Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Name: Alto Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Brand: Alto
SKU: 23135

Colour: Dark ruby.
Bouquet: Cherries and prunes with dark chocolate with a hint of tobacco.
Taste: Full-bodied and mouth-filling with cherries, tobacco and dark chocolate and a good tannin structure.

The winemaker recommends serving it with steaks, lamb, stews and casseroles.

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variety : Cabernet Sauvignon [ 100% Cabernet Sauvignon ]

winery : Alto Estate

winemaker : Schalk van der Westhuizen

wine of origin : Stellenbosch

analysis : alc : 14.08 % vol rs : 2.5 g/l pH : 3.48 ta : 5.91 g/l

type : Red style : Dry body : Full wooded

pack : Bottle closure : Cork

ageing : The wine is ready to enjoy now, but will improve for another 8 - 10 years with maturation.

in the vineyard : Background
Alto, situated on the slopes of the Helderberg Mountain in the Stellenbosch district, dates back to 1693 when it was part of a much larger farm called Groenrivier (Green River), granted to a free burgher by Governor Simon van der Stel. In 1919 the owner of the farm, Hennie Malan, sold off half the land to his brother-in-law and set about planting vines on his remaining portion, focusing exclusively on red varieties. He named the smaller farm Alto, a reference to its altitude (some slopes rise as high as 500m above sea level) and his striving for excellence.

Alto has 93 hectares under vines. The trellised vineyards cling to the high granite slopes that are ideal for the cultivation of red wine varieties.

Vineyard Location
The wine is made from the grapes of unirrigated, north-facing vines that grow in decomposed granite soils and a clay subsoil at altitudes of 135m and 475m above sea level. The vines on the higher slopes are fanned by the cooling maritime breezes from nearby False Bay. A five-wire fence was used to trellis the vines, which yielded a low 4 to 5 tons per hectare.
Viticulturist: Eben Archer.

about the harvest: The grapes were harvested by hand at the end of March at between 24° and 25° Balling.

in the cellar : After destalking and crushing, the mash was fermented in stainless steel tanks at between 25° and 27° C, using the select NT112 yeast culture. The juice was separated from the skins after 10 days. After malolactic fermentation, the wine was racked into first, second-and third-fill French-oak barrels and matured for 18 months.

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