Colour: Deep intensity of colour and a bright ruby/garnet hue.
Nose: Oaking is subtle and almost unnoticeable on the nose, thereby allowing the rich, concentrated red and black-fruit flavours to express themselves fully.
Taste: A perfect balance is achieved between the wine’s fresh acidity, abundant alcohol and full structure. The overall impression is of smoothness, softness, succulence and elegance with a slight suggestion of pomegranate in the aftertaste.
Because of the wine's full-bodied structure, it requires similar structure in its food partners. Fully-ripened beef steaks with cranberry sauce are possibly the perfect match although rare venison cuts or simple Parmesan cheese also offer great enjoyment.
variety : Pinotage [ 100% Pinotage ]
winemaker : Guy Webber
wine of origin : Stellenbosch
analysis : alc : 16.18 % vol rs : 1.6 g/l pH : 3.60 ta : 6.3 g/l va : 0.86 g/l
type : Red body : Full wooded
pack : Bottle size : 0 closure : Cork
in the vineyard : Background
Flanked by the Helderberg and Stellenbosch Mountains, between Stellenbosch and False Bay, lies an exceptional tract of land that benefits from terroirs eminently suited to the cultivation of the highest quality wine grapes. This jewel in the crown of the magnificent Stellenbosch wine-growing region is known as the Golden Triangle. At its core lies Stellenzicht.
The award-winning Stellenzicht range reserves its Cellarmaster's Release label for small batches of individual wines that most eloquently demonstrate the unique terroir of the individual vineyards, but also the aspirations of the winemaking team at Stellenzicht.
The use of sulphur dioxide (sulphite) as a preservative in wine dates back centuries. Acting as both an anti-microbial agent and an anti-oxidant, it facilitates the consistent production of good wines and increases their ability to keep for many years under the correct conditions. As sulphites occur naturally in wines as a product of fermentation, it is not possible to produce a "sulphite-free" wine. With healthy fruit, good equipment, perseverance and the utmost care, it is, however, possible to produce good wines to which no additional sulphites had been added. While the risks are much greater during their production, the end result is entirely worthwhile, especially for those wine lovers who suffer from asthma or have allergic sensitivity to sulphites.
Vineyard and climate data (viticulturists: Prof. Eben Archer and Johan Mong)
The grapes were sourced from an untrellised vineyard of 1.8 ha planted in 1995 in decomposed granite (classified as "Oakleaf") on a site sloping very gently to the north-west. The vines were all grafted onto nematode-resistant rootstocks of Richter 110. The grapes were harvested from only a small portion in the centre of the vineyard where the vines are more vigorous. With the vineyard yielding 10,4 tonnes/ha, the quality of the fruit was ideal for making this wine. The 2009 vintage was characterised by fairly normal climatic conditions during the growing season followed by abnormally cool temperatures during January. Rainfall in the build-up to harvest was average and a supplementary irrigation was needed during the final weeks of ripening in mid- February.
in the cellar : The grapes were harvested by hand on 17 February, destalked, gently crushed and cooled to 17°C before being transferred to a horizontal stainless steel fermenter. The must was inoculated with a pure yeast culture (Merrit Ferm) and fermentation continued on the skins for only 3 days at a maximum temperature of 31°C. Malolactic fermentation occurred spontaneously after the wine had been transferred to 300-litre barrels where it matured for 19 months before being racked and readied for bottling. No new oak was used. After coarse filtration, a total of 2 715 bottles was filled on 18 November 2010.