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Frans K. Smit Special Release + R100 Donation
Frans K Smit Special Release: Limited Edition
Frans K Smit Special Release: Limited Edition
Frans K. Smit Special Release + R100 Donation
Frans K. Smit Special Release + R100 Donation

Frans K. Smit Special Release + R100 Donation

 

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The Frans K. Smit Special Release represents the finest wines possible from each vintage. While historically the range has consisted of a white and red blend, the limited-edition trio features three single varietals reds: a Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

 

Winemaking duo Frans Smit and Johan Jordaan were so impressed by these individual blocks in the cellar, that they opted to craft 800 bottles of each variety to share the unfettered voice of Spier’s remarkable terroir. 

TASTING NOTE
The 2017 Red was made with grapes handpicked on the slopes of Helderberg — arguably the best place in South Africa to grow Bordeaux varietals. Forming 50% of the blend, majestic, mysterious Cabernet Sauvignon takes centre stage, with stellar Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot providing aroma and structure in memorable supporting roles. Offering dark fruits presence and traces of cigar box with tannins that are firm but amiably rounded.

SERVE WITH

Enjoyable now, this collector’s wine will show best at 10 years after harvest, and will complement most red meat dishes — something even as simple and exquisite as flame-seared grass-fed ribeye.

SPECIFICATIONS

WINEMAKER
A creative collaboration between Spier MD Frans Smit & Cellar Master Johan Jordaan

ORIGIN
Helderberg, Stellenbosch

TERROIR / SOIL
Decomposed granite soils

VINEYARD AND CLIMATE CONDITIONS
All varietals in the blend are of Helderberg origin, grown in pockets close to one another but at different altitudes and aspects. The Helderberg’s ‘golden triangle’, within whistling distance from the cool Atlantic ocean, has soils known for yielding Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot of unmatched ageing potential. This consistency of terroir shows up in the taste profile. The first vineyard is about 160m above sea level and it goes all the way up to about 280m above sea level, in the case of the Cabernet Franc. Then we went even higher, up to about 290m, to dip into a small, very special pocket of Malbec. The decomposed granite soils and clay subsoils are something special, adding to the minerality. And then there’s also the cooling sea breeze, which also allows the fruit to develop full flavour complexity.

WINEMAKING
Of course, all picking, sorting and destemming is done by hand and eye. But with this wine, we doubled down on detail, doing the first sorting the old school way and then using machine sorting to check our homework. We set the machine to select berries that are perfectly ripe - no raisins, no stems, no greenness. Only the best of the bunch made it into the fermentation. Several fermentation vessels were used so one could serve to top up another, allowing us to ramp up the juice-to-skin ratio, before filling up the tank for post-fermentation maturation.

DOWNLOAD TASTING NOTE

R 3,950.00
R 3,950.00
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Size | 3 Bottle Case

Donation | BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLIES

R100 from your gift will be used to purchase school supplies for the pupils of Vlottenburg Primary & Lynedoch Community School.

R100 from your gift will be used to sponsor bi-weekly fresh produce deliveries to 40 vulnerable families within our Lynedoch & Vlottenburg community.

Enjoyable now, this collector’s wine will show best at 10 years after harvest, and will complement most red meat dishes — something even as simple and exquisite as flame-seared grass-fed ribeye.

WINEMAKER
A creative collaboration between Spier MD Frans Smit & Cellar Master Johan Jordaan

ORIGIN
Helderberg, Stellenbosch

TERROIR / SOIL
Decomposed granite soils

VINEYARD AND CLIMATE CONDITIONS
All varietals in the blend are of Helderberg origin, grown in pockets close to one another but at different altitudes and aspects. The Helderberg’s ‘golden triangle’, within whistling distance from the cool Atlantic ocean, has soils known for yielding Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot of unmatched ageing potential. This consistency of terroir shows up in the taste profile. The first vineyard is about 160m above sea level and it goes all the way up to about 280m above sea level, in the case of the Cabernet Franc. Then we went even higher, up to about 290m, to dip into a small, very special pocket of Malbec. The decomposed granite soils and clay subsoils are something special, adding to the minerality. And then there’s also the cooling sea breeze, which also allows the fruit to develop full flavour complexity.

WINEMAKING
Of course, all picking, sorting and destemming is done by hand and eye. But with this wine, we doubled down on detail, doing the first sorting the old school way and then using machine sorting to check our homework. We set the machine to select berries that are perfectly ripe - no raisins, no stems, no greenness. Only the best of the bunch made it into the fermentation. Several fermentation vessels were used so one could serve to top up another, allowing us to ramp up the juice-to-skin ratio, before filling up the tank for post-fermentation maturation.

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