in the vineyard : Background
The Neethlingshof estate in Stellenbosch, owned equally by Distell and LUSAN, takes its name from its 19th century owner, Marthinus Laurentius Neethling, who served as mayor of Stellenbosch and was also a member of the old Cape Parliament.
Neethlingshof’s reserve tier, formerly Lord Neethling, has been renamed The Short Story Collection. Drawing attention to the winery’s rich and varied narratives, the three-limited edition wines in the collection each focus on a specific aspect of the estate’s philosophy or history. They are made exclusively from hand-picked grapes.This wine is made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (65%), Merlot (25%) and Petit Verdot (10%).
This Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blend, that includes Merlot and Petit Verdot, was previously labeled Laurentius. It is now named The Caracal, to celebrate the return of the rooikat (African lynx) to Neethlingshof since the start of its programme two years ago to conserve and rehabilitate areas of indigenous habitat, particularly the unique ecosystems surrounding the estate’s granite hills. Rooikatte are now also breeding on Neethlingshof.
The vineyards
The Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard was planted in 1987 on north-west facing slopes, situated 120 m above sea level. The Merlot was planted in 1998 on a north-westerly slope, 210 m above sea level, while the Cabernet Franc vineyard, established in 1987, grows in deep red soils, 125 m above sea level.
These vineyards are grafted onto R99, 110 and 101-4 rootstocks and trellised, using a five-wire vertical fence. The yield from all the vineyards was restricted to an average of 5 tons per hectare to further enhance the quality of the fruit used to produce this wine.