Ernie Els Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

The 2014 is a lighter vintage showing the red fruit spectrum of Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose tempts with notes of coconut, vanilla, raspberries and sweet spice. This leads to a polished, supple palate opening to hints of fine white chocolate. The richness of cranberries and morello cherry gives length while the salty liquorice edge offers freshness and elegance. Crunchy, red-fruited tannins melt into a soft, slightly creamy finish.

variety : Cabernet Sauvignon [ 100% Cabernet Sauvignon ]

winery : Ernie Els Wines

winemaker : Louis Strydom

wine of origin : Stellenbosch

analysis : alc : 14.72 % vol rs : 3.0 g/l pH : 3.81 ta : 6.0 g/l

type : Red style : Dry body : Full taste : Mineral wooded

pack : Bottle size : 750ml closure : Cork

ageing : Beautifully balanced and poised, drink now and over the next 5 - 7 years.

in the vineyard : The 2014 Vintage
Initial vineyard growth was slow due to late cold fronts experienced during August 2013 followed by cool, wet weather at the start of the growing season leading to some challenges. Mid-November created challenging spraying conditions and limited access to the vineyards. As a result, downy mildew led to crop losses early on in the season in some of our red wine areas. Thereafter, favourable climatic conditions improved for flowering and good berry set ensued. The high rainfall in mid-November did however spark vigorous growth which required extra input to ensure superior grape quality and disease prevention through good canopy aeration and sunlight exposure. Widespread rainfall during early January increased pressure on viticulturists to prevent disease and rot. Ideal dry and moderate conditions reigned during ripening in January and mid-February after which a warm period accelerated ripening and resulted in great pressure on harvest intakes. The wine potential looks promising in terms of quality. Moderate weather conditions during the harvest season contributed to intense red wines.

About The Vineyard
The Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards grow on the warm north-facing slopes of the Helderberg region within the Stellenbosch appellation. The Hutton Clovelly soils contain a high gravel content which offers rich middle palate weight giving this wine exceptional depth and fruit purity. Five clones of Cabernet Sauvignon were utilized in the production of this wine with CS46C being our most abundant in clonal selection. With an altitude of approximately 250 metres above sea level together with the cooling influence of the Atlantic Ocean just 15 kilometres away, this extends the ripening period by up to 3 weeks resulting in lovely phenolic ripeness.

about the harvest: The grapes were hand-picked in the cool of early morning.
Harvest Date: March & April, 2014.
Balling: 25.5° Brix average sugar at harvest

in the cellar : On the sorting table, all excess stalks and inferior berries were carefully removed. Grape bunches were gently destalked with a Bucher de-stalker and lightly crushed. Fermentation took place in 7-ton, open-top stainless steel tanks with yeast WE 372 being added to the juice. The wines were pumped-over and punched-down manually 5 times per day ensuring maximum colour extraction from the skins. After primary fermentation the maceration period was 10 - 16 days before pressing. Each variety is maturated separately (micro-vinified) in oak barrels before blending and eventual bottling.

COOPERAGE Aged for 17 months - 300 litre French Oak barrels (20 % new)
PRODUCTION 6000 x 6 x 750ml cases
SUSTAINABILTY INITIATIVE I.P.W. (Integrated Production of Wine) Certified

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