This Zorgvliet Richelle has incredible longevity and proof of this low PH mountainous provenance. All the energy of the Simonsburg Mountain, the anvil of Stellenbosch is here in force in this wine and its granitic length gives the fruit an amazing platform.

On the nose it is bright red and creamy with Cabernet family minty familiarity. The quality of the fruit and the vintage have beautifully absorbed all the new oak involved and what remains today is a still very young, bright elegant cuvee.

The vineyards are located in the Banghoek Valley, Stellenbosch. Elevation is 300-500masl and the vines are mostly southerly facing. This provides moderate temperatures resulting in late but slow ripening fruit. The soils are made up of leached, decomposed granite and sandstone. Gravel in the upper layers provides for good drainage in wet seasons and clay in the subsoil provides moisture retention in dry ones. The steep vineyards are trained on a 7 wire hedge and cane pruned by hand. Average yield is 5-8tonnes/ha. All grapes are harvested by hand and berry sorted into stainless steel fermenters. Natural fermentation commences spontaneously and is finished with a pure strain. Extraction is done with a combination of punch-down, rack-and-return and pump-over methods. Batches are gently pressed and immediately racked to small French oak barrels where they complete malolactic fermentation. The components are then racked three times to enhance clarification and development. Blending takes place after 14 months aging, after which the composed blend is aged in barrel for another 4 months. The wine is bottled after a total of 22 months.

Food Pairing:
Enjoy with roast lamb with rosemary and crushed garlic.