Zonnebloem Cabernet Sauvignon 1999

This wine is a classic Cape Cabernet. There are mulberry, spicy and some tobacco aromas. The flavours are clean cut with no fuzziness. The finish is very dry.


variety : Cabernet Sauvignon [ Cabernet Sauvignon ]
winery : Zonnebloem Wines
winemaker : Jan de Waal
wine of origin : Coastal
analysis : alc : 13.96 % vol  rs : 1.58 g/l  pH : 3.73  ta : 5.3 g/l  so2 : 116 mg/l  fso2 : 42 mg/l  

ageing : Excellent for consumption now or for further maturation.

in the vineyard : The grapes are drawn predominantly from Devon Valley, Stellenbosch Kloof and Helderberg, but this can change from harvest to harvest. These vineyards are mostly trellised and cooler South West facing, affording the grapes a cooler microclimate. We started picking in February when the richer, fuller flavours were evident. The grapes were picked at 23°B-24°B.

about the harvest: As a result of a dry winter, except for high rainfall in November, the bud burst was earlier than 1998. Spring and early summer heralded dry and warm conditions, therefore early flowering of the vines. Harvesting started early; in mid January with generally small lightweight bunches, resulting in low yields per hectare. Although a heat wave in February accelerated the sugar accumulation in the berries, the acids and pH did not suffer and retained a good balance. Red wines were characterised by high alcohol with ripe tannins and excellent fruit offering wines with a long maturation potential.

in the cellar : The grapes were fermented on the skins for 10–12 days, juice racked off the skins, and the skins then pressed. The press juice was then added back to add complexity. The grapes from selected vineyards were seperately vinified to maintain their individual characters. After fermentation, selections are made and placed in wood. 86% of the wine spends 10–14 months in wood. Both large wood (21%) and small wood (65%) is used for maturation.

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