2. Cabernet Sauvignon
Tasting Notes
Deep ruby red colour. Nose reminiscent of cassis, blackcurrant and ripe berry fruit, following
through to the palate. Medium to full bodied wine, beautifully balanced with a touch of well
integrated oak aromas. Well structured with a soft subtle tannin finish.
Blend Information
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Food Suggestions
Enjoy on its own or with variety of red meat dishes.
In The Vineyard
Soil type: Cape Hutton and broken granite
Irrigation: Drip irrigation twice. First for 24 hours at veraison; secondly
for 12 hours plus another 6 hours during a very warm season.
Vineyards: 100% Trellised
About The Harvest
Fruit harvested at 25° Balling.
Yield: 10t/ha
In The Cellar
Cold soaking period for 48 hours. Fermentation in stainless steel red wine fermenters for
approximately 10 days. Aroma and color extraction via delastage and daily pump overs.
Partially aged in 300 litre French oak barrel as well as selected premium French oak staves
for 8-12 months. Malolactic fermentation completed.
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3. Shiraz
Tasting Notes
The wine has a deep, dark red colour. Aromas of plums and red berry fruitcake greet you on
the nose along with hints of nutmeg. The palate is dense, very well rounded and supported
with a smooth, velvety tannin structure along with flavours of mulberry, blackberry fruit and
vanilla. The soft, complex palate will awaken your taste buds and undertones of chocolate
and tobacco leaf will linger for a while and slowly fade away, leaving your palate satisfied.
Ageing Potential
This vintage can be enjoyed up to 2019, but will reach its best drinking potential towards the
end of 2018 and with optimum cellaring will peak only towards the end of 2016.
Blend Information
100% Shiraz
Food Suggestions
Slow cooked casseroles, herb-roasted or spiced meat and vegetable dishes, robust and
ethnic dishes from all over the world served with savoury sauces with a little dark chocolate
and flavoured with a dash of chili will all go very well with this wine. It will also pair well with
game dishes. It will love grilled or barbecued foods as it latches on to the pronounced
‘browning’ flavours that develop with these cooking methods and also pairs well with a rack
of braaied spareribs with a sweet or spicy basting sauce. Our Shiraz also works with sweeter
sauces, cranberry jellies and relishes that accompany many savoury dishes. It also loves
everyday dishes such as cottage pie, bangers and mash, beef cooked in red wine,
mushrooms on toast, and a mild, rare pan-fried steak
In The Vineyard
Origin: Western Cape
Altitude: 200 - 400m above sea level
Age of vines: 6-13 years
Slopes: Western facing slopes
Row direction: North-South
Soil: Decomposed granite, Oakleaf and Tukulu formations
About The Harvest
A cool and wet winter allowed vines to go into proper dormancy. We experienced severe
winds at the end of November and extreme heat wave conditions at the end of December.
Luckily this did not affect the sensitive flowering and ripening stages too much. We
experienced a cool summer with the highest rainfall for February in many years. This
resulted in slower ripening and the ability to harvest at lower sugar levels. This in turn
resulted in refined wines with elegance and good natural acidity. The fruit were picked by
hand early in the morning to protect the very delicate flavours and placed into 5 ton
fermenters with regular, manual punch downs before the grapes were pressed and
transferred to barrels for malo-lactic fermentation and ageing. The harvest dates were March
– April
In The Cellar
Wood: 14 months in 300L French oak barrels of which 13% was new.
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4. Premium Blend
Tasting Notes
On the nose, spicy notes of liquorice, black pepper, coriander and “fynbos” combine with
fresh aromas of dark berries and butterscotch. The multi-layered and gripping palate is very
well balanced and lingers, with hints of plums and meaty-savoury nuances.
Ageing Potential
Cape Sun Premium Blend 2013 is drinking excellent now or can mature and develop for 6 -
10 years from vintage.
Blend Information
86% Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon 10%, Pinotage 4% (Can vary from vintage to vintage)
Food Suggestions
Ideally served slightly chilled at around 18° - 22° C. This Shiraz complements lamb, beef or
rich venison dishes. This excellent food wine is also a great companion in front of a fire in
winter.
In The Vineyard
From vineyards situated on the slopes of Simonsberg Mountain in Stellenbosch. The
Simonsberg region is known for its rich granite soils and moderate climate which leads to the
creation of elegant wines, with great depth and intensity. Heat, wind and dry conditions
during grape ripening combine to produce grape berries with thick skins and wines with a
high extract and excellent aging ability. Other components gets sourced from selected
parcels in the Western Cape.
Climatic conditions during the spring resulted in good flowering and berry-set. The ripening
seasons in Stellenbosch was warm and dry with full ripeness being reached in the 1st week
of March.
Viticulture
Trellised vineyards ensured sufficient sunlight and air circulation in the vine’s canopy and
thus produced grapes with excellent flavour and intensity. Fungicides, pesticides and
herbicides were kept to a minimum and weeds were controlled manually. Grapes were
harvested manually into small boxes.
In The Cellar
Minimal interference and additions, along with wild fermentations ensured that the wine
expressed the unique characteristics of our terroir. Eighty-five percent of the grape bunches
were de-stemmed and whole berries were moved into stainless steel tanks, while 15 % of
the whole grape bunches were moved to tanks for a partial whole bunch fermentation. Wild/
natural alcoholic fermentation commenced after 3 - 4 days and lasted for 1 - 2 weeks. Pump-
overs were done twice per day to ensure optimum colour, flavour and tannin extraction. The
wine was left to macerate in the skins for 2 - 3 weeks after the completion of fermentation
and before pressing. The wine was taken to barrel for malo-lactic fermentation and
maturation. Maturation in barrel lasted 12 months, with 25% new French oak barrels used.
The balance of wine was matured in 2nd and 3rd fill barrels and older.
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5. Pinotage
Tasting Notes
Colour: Dark ruby red. Bouquet: Elegant red fruit with smoky and savoury notes. Palate: A
full-bodied wine with enticing savoury flavours, smokiness and hints of red fruit. Tamed
tannins, and good balance between fruit and acid, result in an elegant and sophisticated
palate.
Ageing Potential
This wine can be enjoyed now, but has been structured to gain complexity with maturation
over the next 5 to 8 years.
Blend Information
100% Pinotage
Food Suggestions
Excellent enjoyed on its own or served with poultry, game or red meat dishes. This wine also
pairs really well with dark chocolate desserts and roasted pecan nuts.
In The Vineyard
The Pinotage grapes were sourced from two vineyard blocks situated in the Stellenbosch
area. The one block, located at the base of the Helderberg Mountains, comprises old bush
vines that grow in shallow, sandy soils with underlying clay, thus giving low vigour and low
yields, resulting in very concentrated berry fruit flavours. The other block is a trellised
vineyard, situated against the south-east facing slopes of the Bottelary Hills. In direct
contrast to the first vineyard, this block grows in deep red, fertile, Oakleaf soils with a high
clay percentage and water-holding capacity. Both blocks receive only supplementary
irrigation. Other components gets sourced from selected parcels in the Western Cape.
About The Harvest
The grapes were harvested by hand at 24,5° to 25,5° Balling in February when fruit and
tannins were fully ripened but the berries and skins still firm. Each vineyard block was
individually vinified.
In The Cellar
After fermentation for 10 to 13 days, the wine was aged in a combination of first- and
second-fill 300-litre American and French oak barrels.
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