| WINE | Vinum Africa | ||||||||
| VARIETAL | Cabernet-Sauvignon | ||||||||
| VINTAGE | 2006 | ||||||||
| APPELLATION | Stellenbosch (60% Helderberg, 40% Devon Valley) | ||||||||
| ANALYSIS |
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| PRODUCTION | 6500 (12 x 750ml.) cases |
VINEYARDS
Five selected vineyards, three located on the footslopes of the prestigious Helderberg Mountain and the other two on the heights of Devon Valley. The Helderberg vineyards facing the ocean in a South-Easterly & South-Westerly orientation whilst the Devon Valley vineyard faces South and South-Westerly, also on the Coastal side of Stellenbosch. Both areas benefiting from cooling Maritime breezes.
VINIFICATION
2006 was a beautifully balanced vintage with just about perfect conditions all year. Especially pleasing were the cooler summer evenings, perfect for making wines with natural balance. This in-turn leading to lovely flavours and pristine grape quality. Yields were naturally restrained although we still green harvested towards the end of veraison to under 40hl / ha. Cabernet-Sauvignon is always our latest varietal to ripen and we were fortunate to benefit from these cooler conditions, and timeous rainfalls, which allowed the Cab to hang for a further 10 days or so, allowing for fuller phenolic ripeness of the berries.
Picking was carried-out into small lug boxes, by hand. The grapes passed-over our sorting table, also manually. we pre-fermentation cold-soaked each batch of grapes for 3 days, followed by fermentation on the skins in tank. Cap-punching and pump-overs once a day. Care was taken to not over-emphasize tannins or extract but to ensure good balance with the fruit and acidity. Elegance as opposed to structure. Two thirds of the wine underwent Malolactic in barrel, the rest in tank – to retain fruit and suppleness. These proportions were matured respectively for 14 months, with periodic micro-oxygenation and without sulphur additions. Of the barrel proportion, 70% was small French oak, 30% American, a third new, the rest split between 2nd & 3rd fill. The wines were assembled after 15 months, then egg white fined. Naturally settled in tank and matured for a further 6 months, with no filtration until bottling.
WINEMAKER'S COMMENTS
The deep, shiny cherry hue and smooth, rich spicy nose combine to put you in a good mood before the wine even hits your tongue. Individual flavours, layered structure & generous fruit. Vinum’s aim is to combine the classic structure of Old World Cabs, with a nod to the warmth of the New World’s accessible flavours. Intelligent oaking compliments rather than dominates the fruit, allowing it to reflect its origin’s natural flavours. Cigar box, blueberry, spiciness, cherry and mocha mingle seamlessly, bridging the lapse between sips. Finishing with a fresh minerality which will allow the wine an exciting future.