Mont Rochelle Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

ageing : With bottle ageing in our Bottle Maturation Cellar, the wine is now ready for drinking but will most definitely reward careful cellaring for at least 10 years from Vintage.

Cabernet Sauvignon was among the first varietals planted on Mont Rochelle, making the Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard blocks some of the oldest on the farm. These older vines yield low volumes of highly concentrated fruit for the production of our elegant and complex Cabernet Sauvignon wines. The wine-style is geared towards finesse and elegance, although this wine can be powerful at times with good fruit intensity.

The 2008 growing season, leading into 2009 was very cold and wet. The late September rains enabled accumulation of good moisture reserves in the soil. Late spring and early summer were essentially cool months, causing vigorous growth, which slowed down ripening and enhanced flavour accumulation. The cooler ripening season caused the harvest to start two weeks later than usual. Late February and early March temperature spikes had the cellar going into overdrive. The picking season was more than a month shorter than usual, but the fruit quality was superb!

Region Franschhoek
Vine age: 13 years
Vines per Ha: 4,250
Altitude: 260-330 m

Harvesting of the grapes occurred at optimal ripeness ensuring that the maximum fruit potential for the wine was achieved.

Harvested: 3rd-5th March 2009
Harvest Method: Hand

Fermentation at 26 degrees Celsius with gradual tannin extraction resulted in a full-bodied tannin profile. Maturation in 100% French oak barrels for 24 months, 30% of which was new, added fine structure and smoothness to the wines profile. With bottle ageing in our Bottle Maturation Cellar, the wine is now ready for drinking but will most definitely reward careful cellaring for at least 10 years from Vintage.

Malolactic: 100%
Fermentation: Stainless Steel
Bottled: 28th November 2011
Barrels: 24 months in 225 litre French oak 30% New Oak
Production: 6,500 bottles