Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2019 - Gold medal Tim Atkin Annual South African Report 2020 - 92 points John Platter Wine Guide 2021 - 5 stars
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 Frans Smit ORIGIN Stellenbosch TERROIR / SOIL Decomposed granite soils VINEYARD AND CLIMATE CONDITIONS All varietals were from the Helderberg and Stellenbosch which are both close to the sea, but from different slopes and aspects. The cooling afternoon sea breeze extends time on the vine and complexity of taste. It allows the tannins enough thime to muster stature. Decomposed granite soils with clay subsoil hold water exceptiontionally well,making us less reliant on irrigation. Besides being good for the vine, the soil quality reduces dependence on irrigation. It's good, full stop. Minimising our environmental impact is a key priority at Spier; it's part of our philosophy and business intention. WINEMAKING We hand-harvest in small lugs - and all processes after picking are carefully controlled by our team. De-stemming and hand-selecting all adds to a great taste, in the end. Every detail is crucial. The components were mostly fermented in small 600L roller fermenters. We allowed it quite a long time on the skins, giving it time to settle and come into its own. Malolactic fermentation was done in barrel - a period of about 24 months on the lees. Then we made our selections and started blending the components. In the final blend, I decided to add in a small percentage of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot to make this a true Bordeaux style wine with good aroma and structure. We then sent it back into the barrel for 4 to 5 months, before racking. DOWNLOAD TASTING NOTE
