Du Toitskloof Selected Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

ageing : 

Drink within four years after bottling.

Du Toitskloof Wines has exclusive access to a vast number of vineyards varying in grape variety as well as soil profile, aspect and micro-climates. These are farmed by our 22 farmer-members, in conjunction with an expert team of viticulturists as well as input from the winemakers responsible for the bottled product.

For the Du Toitskloof Selected Vineyard Series, special parcels of vineyards displaying individual characteristics of excellence and bearing a site-specific character have been selected from which to produce a range of terroir-driven wines of unique terroir expression. During the growing season these vineyards are managed under the guidance of viticulture experts overseeing diligent pruning, suckering and canopy control schedules.

At harvest time, the fruit is vinified in small, individual parcels in a specially built, state-of-the-art harvest-cellar and wine-making facility, ensuring the resulting wines reflect the natural features of their vineyards of origin. Wines requiring wood maturation are aged in French oak barrels selected by the cellar master to assist in complementing the structure and flavour profile of each wine.

The Selected Vineyard Series represents the pinnacle of the diverse range of quality wines offered by Du Toitskloof.

All the grapes for this wine came from within 5 km of the Du Toitskloof Cellar. The vines, grafted on Richter 99 rootstock, are grown in two types of soil. The weathered scale group delivers full bodied wines whilst the sandy loam soils with the underlying “bolder bed” (approximately 40m deep), produces fruity wines. Based on soil moisture level, as measured by neutron hydrometers in the vineyards, controlled irrigation is applied. This practice ensures small berries with an excellent skin to fruit ratio, providing an intense colour and flavour spectrum. Leaf canopies were carefully managed to ensure the berries receive adequate sunlight. The grapes were picked when they reached optimum physiological ripeness.

The grapes were picked when they reached optimum physiological ripeness at 25° - 26° Balling.

The grapes were crushed and de-stemmed, then pumped to rotor tanks where it was left on the skins for two days at temperatures between 10° - 15° C to allow maximum extraction of colour and flavour. Selected yeast strains were added and fermentation allowed to take place at a controlled temperature of 24° C while the rotor tanks were turned every four to six hours to increase extraction. After the primary fermentation lasting six to eight days, the wine was racked and the skins pressed, followed by malolactic fermentation. The wine was aged for ten months in French oak before bottling.

Chief winemaker: Shawn Thomson
Winemakers: Chris Geldenhuys, Willie Stofberg