Cape Grace Basket Pressed Cabernet Shiraz

Production 500 dozen / 6000 bottles

Colour:Violet and dark ruby, good depth of colour.

Bouquet:Dark, brooding nose full of blackcurrants and dark forest fruits. Black pepper, spice, cloves and violet.

Palate:Medium to full body, dark forest fruits. Cabernet showing to the fore with juicy, textural fruit. Shiraz gives great length with black pepper, spice and aniseed.

Enjoy now or will continue to mellow over the next five years. A perfect wine with pasta, pizza and food off the grill!

Harvest: The Shiraz for this blend was picked on 10thand 22ndMarch and the Cabernet Sauvignon on the 22ndof March 2018.

Vinification:

The grapes were picked in the cool of the morning, destemmed and placed in two open fermenters. Innoculated with a neutral yeast and the cap plunged up to four times a day, by hand. After 10 days the wine was kept on extended skins for a further ten days. Then the wine was drained and the must basket pressed off to tank where it underwent a malolactic fermentation which softens the acid. The wine was then racked to a mix of one and two year old French barriques, then left to mature for 10 months. A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Shiraz. Bottled in July 2019.

Technical Data: Alc. 13.9% pH 3.5 TA 6.2 g/l

2018 Vintage:

Flowering and fruit set in October and November indicated fantastic yields and our loamy soils benefited from rains in December which promoted excellent growth and lush canopies. January and February were cool without the 40°C heat spikes and this assisted steady ripening, producing bright white acids, aromatics and good flavours. The slower ripening has resulted in superb whites with excellent flavour profiles and natural acidity. An outstanding white vintage with good yields. The reds also benefited from the cooler ripening with better colour development and riper, softer tannins.

Vintage Rating 9/10

Awards and Reviews:

New Release March 2020