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Zandvliet Shiraz is a blend of all the shiraz from the Estate, all of which was matured in old oak (For comparison to Kalkveld Shiraz – see notes on Kalkveld Shiraz). Great concentration of colour, aromas and fruit. Rich, ripe red fruit characters – plums, cherries and mulberries. Intense fruit flavour, beautifully integrated with oak, soft ripe tannins giving an elegant, suave feel on the palate, lasting finish. Excellent with all foods.
in the cellar : Great northern Rhone variety gaining worldwide fame specially from Hermitage and now lately Australia. Vigorous grower, doing especially well on hard granite, limestone and gravel soils. Makes huge complex wines that can last up to 30 years. First red planted on Zandvliet in 1969, initially in alluvial soils. All our shiraz has since been relocated to the kalkveld with its calcareous, clay and gravely soils. The extent of the vineyards is now close on 40 hectares and increasing yearly. Special care is taken to ensure that evenly-spaced small clusters with small berries are produced, thereby limiting the crop to 45 – 70 hectolitres per hectare. Harvesting takes place only when grapes are fully ripe, which is determined chiefly by tasting the grapes in the vineyards. Fruit of great intensity of colour, aroma and taste is produced in this unique terroir.
Cellaring
After crushing, some of the pomace was cold soaked before fermentation to ensure maximum fruit and colour extraction. Some of the wine completed its fermentation in barrel, all going through the malolactic fermentation. This wine was matured in old (third fill) barrels for as long as 24 months to achieve the elegance in taste that is a hallmark of this flagship Zandvliet wine.