Neethlingshof Lord Neethling Laurentius 1998

Michelangelo International Wine Awards 2003 - Double Gold
Colour: Deep ruby hues dominate the mulberry-coloured blend.
Bouquet: An immediate waft of fine oak aromas: clean cedar and sweet vanilla, followed by a rush of ripe, dark berry fruit in profusion, together with hints of mint and chocolate – a glorious promise of delights to come!
Taste: Smooth, silky entry onto the palate, with all the hallmarks of a great wine: balance and harmony within its very elegant structure. Generous cassis and mulberry fruits against a background of ripe tannins which has been carefully woven into the fabric of the blend – after bottle maturation of more than two years. Beautifully proportioned and tightly, neatly packed to provide great drinking pleasure.

Serve with simply cooked, top quality red meat from beef and lamb with a few wild mushrooms on the side, to venison steaks with crushed pink peppercorns. Try with a medium to rare Chateaubriand or Entrecôte, but also enjoy it with gulash or barbecued rumpsteak. If the Laurentius is served with meat in a sauce, care should be taken not to use too much of the heavily aromatic spices.

variety : Cabernet Sauvignon [ 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Shiraz ]
winemaker : 
wine of origin : Coastal
analysis : alc : 13.1 % vol  rs : 2.8 g/l  pH : 3.69  ta : 6.1 g/l  va : 0.65 g/l  so2 : 131 mg/l  fso2 : 48 mg/l  
type : Red   wooded
pack : Bottle  

AWARDS
Michelangelo International Wine Awards 2003 - Double Gold

ageing : The Laurentius is ready to drink now, but will grow even more in stature and finesse when cellared. It is so vigorous and vital, with more than enough fruit to carry it through till at least 2010.

in the vineyard : The Laurentius 1998 is a blend of 52% cabernet sauvignon and 48% shiraz.

The cabernet sauvignon vineyard was planted in 1987 on slopes facing north-west, and which are situated at 120 metres above sea level. The shiraz is two years older and grows at 140 metres, but also faces north-west. The vines are all grafted onto nematode-resistant rootstocks (Richter 99 & 101 – 14) and are trellised on a five-wire vertical fence system. When needed, they received supplementary irrigation from a quick-coupling sprinkler to limit the amount of moisture-stress they were subjected to.

The yield from both vineyards was restricted to an average of 5 tonnes per hectare to further enhance the quality of the fruit.

about the harvest: All the grapes were hand-picked at 23 - 25 degrees Balling: the cabernet on 27 and the shiraz on 23 February 1998.

in the cellar : After destalking and crushing, the mash was fermented seperately in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks after adding a selected, pure yeast culture. Fermentation temperatures averaged out at around 28 degrees Celsius.

Once malolactic fermentation has been completed, the two wines were racked into 225 litre French barrels: in new oak, as well as second and third fill. Maturation in these barrels lasted for a period of 24 months. After the blend has been made up, a light egg-white fining was used to “polish” the wine. On the 31st of August 2000, the wine was ready to be bottled.

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OTHER VINTAGES

Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon