Veritas 2003 - Silver
“The wine has a deep, intense ruby colour. On the nose it is filled with ripe cherries, mocha and vanilla spices while the palate is full-bodied with juicy fruit backed by spice and subtle tannins. It is drinkable now but will benefit from maturation for a few years,†says winemaker Coenie Snyman.
An ideal match for red meat, grills and stews.
in the vineyard : Made from superior grapes meticulously selected from prized vineyard blocks in the Cape Coastal region, Fleur du Cap Unfiltered wines are shaped in perfect harmony with nature. Handpicked in the vineyard and handcrafted in the cellar, these new generation wines capture the highly sought-after qualities of varietal character and terroir. Sedimentation, racking and fining as opposed to filtration maximise the preservation of colour and flavour elements resulting in wines that abound with fruit and flavour.
Terroir
Climate, soil, altitude and slope orientation are selected to capture as much varietal character as possible. The climate is mild with south and east facing slopes offering protection against late afternoon sun. Cooling breezes from the Atlantic Ocean ensure rich, slow growing crops. Soils are predominantly medium-textured and well-drained with good water holding capacity.
The vineyards (Viticulturist: Bennie Liebenberg)
The Roobernet grapes were sourced from a vineyard high up on the slopes of the Helderberg, at an altitude of approximately 150m above sea level. The north to north-west facing vineyard is trellised on a 5-wire hedge system and produced a yield of 4-5 tons/ha. The Pinotage comes from an eight-year-old bushvine in the Bottelary Hills grown at approximately 200m above sea level. The vines were cultivated under dryland conditions and a yield of 6 tons/ha was produced. Pest and disease control was implemented according to South African subjective IPW standards.
in the cellar : The grapes were fermented at 26ºC for 14 days in the cellar. After fermentation the wine underwent malolactic fermentation and the Pinotage was matured in 45% new and 55% second and third-fill French oak barrels for 18 months. The Roobernet was matured in 100% new French oak for 18 months. The wines were made and matured separately and blended before bottling in a Pinotage to Roobernet ratio of 55:45.