Awards: 

Paarl Vintners – Best single vineyard Shiraz Trophy

Growing area: 

Oude Denneboom, Voor Paardeberg, Paarl district.

Decomposed shale / Klapmuts

To ensure a balanced growing vine, we do some summer green shoot actions, such as suckering, tipping and topping, removing of unsuitable berries and bunches, leaving only the strongest shoots to ripen into the remaining bunches. The vines were irrigated only 3 times during the ripening stages of the grapes.

2006 was tremendous: warm and sunny, with cool nights that prolonged the hang time of the grapes that led to wines with good pH and acidity. Early flowering with a warm summer produced grapes with concentrated flavours and colour.

The grapes were destalked and cold macerated for 5 days in open top tanks. Selected yeast was added. After two weeks fermentation, the free run juice was gravity fed into a balance of first and second fill French oak barrels. The rest of grapes were gently pressed and also put into the barrels. The wine is not fined and it should be expected to throw a sediment over time.

A nose of berry fruit, followed by intense ripe flavours of blackberry and spice, fine tannins and a long elegant finish.

The wine is ready to drink now but with cellaring will age for a further 5-8 years.