Durbanville Hills Vineyard Selection Caapmans Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot 2011
Colour: Deep ruby red.
Nose: Rich, ripe sweet red fruit,vanilla, mocha and a sweet cedar wood sensation with hints of tobacco on the nose makes this wine beautiful and complex.
Taste: A rich, full-bodied wine with firm tannins and an abundance of fruit following through from the nose. Mocha and dark chocolate balanced with well integrated oak and a lingering palate.
Serve with roast leg of lamb with rosemary and garlic, rib eye steak with a red wine sauce or enjoy with Gruyère and Old Amsterdam cheeses.
variety : Cabernet Sauvignon [ 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot ]
winemaker : Martine Moore with Wilhelm Coetzee
wine of origin : Durbanville
analysis : alc : 14.5 % vol rs : 2.7 g/l pH : 3.73 ta : 5.6 g/l
type : Red style : Dry body : Full taste : Fruity wooded
pack : Bottle size : 0 closure : Cork
AWARDS
Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show 2012 - Bronze
Decanter World Wine Awards 2012 - Commended
ageing : It is recommended to leave the wine to age to allow its flavours to come to the fore.
in the vineyard : Background
Nine leading vineyard owners in the Durbanville district joined forces with Distell to create Durbanville Hills with the aim of promoting the regional individuality of this prime wine-growing area. The striking Durbanville Hills cellar sits on the side of a series of rolling hills with magnificent views of Table Mountain and Table Bay - the very geography that lies at the heart of what makes the wines so unique. The Durbanville ward is officially considered one of the Cape's two coolest wine regions, thanks to the sea breezes that drift inland from False Bay and Table Bay and the late afternoon mists that bathe the slopes. These conditions are ideal for the slow ripening of the grapes, allowing them to develop their full-flavoured, intense character. Grapes are sourced only from the shareholder - growers, all of whom farm within the limited appellation of Durbanville. Meticulous crop control limits yields and promotes concentration of varietal flavour. Cellarmaster Martin Moore uses highly advanced cellar technology to ensure optimal extraction of colour and flavour.
Sustainable practices include maintaining the disciplines imposed by International Environmental Standard ISO 140001 such as in the treatment of waste water back to irrigation quality. In all its vineyards the growing practices prescribed by IPW (Integrated Production of Wine) are followed. These are designed to sustain natural resources. In addition, the members protect on their farms 210 ha of endangered Renosterveld as part of the Biodiversity Wine Initiative (BWI).
The wine is named after the Caapmans, a loosely knit group of herder tribes the early settlers encountered grazing their cattle along the Cape's West Coast and inland, around the hills of Durbanville.
about the harvest: The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were sourced from a north-east facing, low-yielding vineyard (6 to 9 tons per hectare), established in 1990 and planted in deep, dark red soils at around 250 metres above sea-level. The grapes were hand harvested in March at 25° to 26° Balling. The Merlot grapes were hand-harvested in March at 25.5° Balling from a north-east facing vineyard on the valley floor, located about 200 metres above sea level and planted in deep red soils. The vineyards, established in 1991, produced no more than 9
tons per ha.
in the cellar : Each cultivar was separately vinified. After 24 hours of cold soaking, the must was fermented on the skins (between 26ºC and 28ºC) in closed, specially designed auto fermenters until dry. During this period the maximum fruit, colour and tannin extraction from the skins was made possible through very soft, continuous timer-regulated pump-over cycles. To soften the texture, the wine was left on the skins for two weeks after the fermentation period. Controlled malolactic fermentation took place in tank after which the wine was matured for 14 months in tight-grained new French oak, and blended before bottling where after it was matured in the bottle for a further six months. The wine is made from 73% Cabernet Sauvignon and
27% Merlot.
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OTHER VINTAGES
Cabernet Sauvignon
Martine Moore with Wilhelm Coetzee
Cabernet Sauvignon
Martine Moore with Wilhelm Coetzee