Muratie Ansela van de Caab 2011

Dark, intense and brooding – all watchwords for the exciting wine to come. The nose promises much – cedar wood, cigar box, tiny blackcurrants and a distinctive herbaceous edge courtesy of the Cabernet Franc – and the palate more than delivers on that promise with rich, savoury flavours of black olive tapenade, cassis, some perfumed sandalwood and a long finish which develops from fruit to savoury, and ends with an enticing combination of the two.

This wine epitomises balance, with the elegant tannins, fresh acidity and masterly oak treatment all playing their part. A wine to savour and sip with the very finest culinary offerings, or simply to be enjoyed with good friends, worthy of the name.

This wine, with its velvety tannins will go great with red meat or any savoury dishes.

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variety : Cabernet Sauvignon [ 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc ]

winery : Muratie Wine Estate

winemaker : Francois Conradie

wine of origin : Simonsberg-Stellenbosch

analysis : alc : 14.11 % vol rs : 1.6 g/l pH : 3.60 ta : 6.2 g/l so2 : 81 mg/l fso2 : 20 mg/l

type : Red style : Dry body : Full wooded

pack : Bottle size : 0 closure : Cork

ageing : Can be enjoyed now or up to ten years from now.

in the vineyard : As history would tell us, the Cape of Good Hope was established by Jan van Riebeeck back in 1652. During this time the slave trade was in full swing. So was the case that the Dutch annexed a Portuguese slave trading vessel at sea. This ship had left Guinea and was forced to dock in Cape Town. The year was 1658. Aboard this ship was a woman who was commandeered to the slave quarters in the Castle. Her little daughter was born in bondage at the Castle and there they lived until 1665 when they moved to the formal slave quarters that were built for them.

This little girl was named Ansela van de Caab. During those times all the slaves born at the Cape only had Christian names. Their second names were all Van de Caab, meaning of the Cape. Slaves at this time obviously had no rights to self determination at all.

Ansela van de Caab spent her time growing up around the Castle, the gardens and around Green market square, yet every evening they were all locked up in the slave quarters. During this time she met a soldier called Laurens Campher, who was based at the Castle. The two fell in love, but due to her slave status they could not marry at the time.

Laurens decided to become a farmer and in 1658 the Governor Wilhelm Adriaan van der Stel granted him a piece of land at the foot of the very fertile Simonsberg Mountain, approximately 6km outside Stellenbosch and 60km from the Castle. Laurens used to walk on foot through the wilderness to visit Ansela at the slave quarters on a regular basis. Those days it took about 3 days to get to Cape Town!

It was in 1699 that Ansela van de Caab eventually, after years of struggling, managed to get herself baptised in the Castle. Once she had achieved this she was eventually set free on the 28th of June 1699.

Laurens Campher came to fetch Ansela and her 3 children (Cornelius, Jacoba and Agenetjie) that she had born from his frequent visits to the slave quarters.

This multiple award winning wine, the MURATIE ANSELA van de CAAB, pays tribute to our first owner's wife, whose perseverance and struggle for freedom became a reality.

about the harvest: The varietals for our Ansela were all hand harvested.

in the cellar : The grapes are sorted, crushed, destalked and fermented in classic open fermenters. Malolactic fermentation is done in French oak barrels. After 18 months of barrel maturation, the varietals are individually tasted and selected for the Ansela blend. This blend is re-introduced into French Oak for a further 6 months to ensure that a good marriage takes place between the varietals. 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc.

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