The Mentors Cabernet Franc 2019

ageing : 

This wine can be enjoyed now, but cellaring for an additional five to eight years will be rewarded.

The 2019 season showed great promise with improved winter rains. However, variable weather conditions, with continuous temperature fluctuations, resulted in inconsistent bud break, uneven flowering and set.  Followed by slow and uneven ripening. Reds were most affected and overall yields were down. White varieties, except for the lower yields on Sauvignon Blanc, were as expected. The challenges are not without rewards: whites are bright and flavourful with good aromatics. Reds have soft tannins with rich fruit and generosity.

The Mentors Cabernet franc 2019 is made from one vineyard from the Helderberg ward in Stellenbosch. The vineyard have a view of the ocean with cooler day and night temperatures. This ensure longer ripening and more hang time on the vine. This block is 18 years old, planted on “koffie klip” soils.

We divided the block into two picking; the first portion was handpicked at 25 Balling, while the second portion was picked at 26 Balling. The two pickings was treated differently in the winery to ensure that we maximize the true potential of the vineyard and to ensure the balance between tannin structure, fruit purity and concentration.

While Cabernet franc is mainly used in blends to provide highlights of perfume, blossoms and spice, the 2019 liked the 2018 showed an extraordinary level of palate complexity that warranted its selection as a stand-alone variety for the Mentors label.

We only produce a Cabernet Franc in years when the desired palate weight and structure that makes the wine extraordinary can be achieved. The 2019 Cabernet Franc meets our philosophy of honouring the diversity of terroir and climate, and we hope that future climatic conditions continue to align and allow similar outstanding quality.

After two days of cold maceration the juice was inoculated with a selected yeast strain. Alcoholic fermentation lasted approximately six days and during this time, the wine was pumped over every four hours. It was pressed, then settled and transferred to barrel for malolactic fermentation. The wine was then racked and cleaned, and returned to barrel for maturation. After 12 months the best wines were selected to mature for a further six months. In total over the 18-month maturation period, the wine was racked twice. This wine is truly about selecting the best-of-the-best.

Maturation:
The wine spent 18 months in 70% new French oak barrels.