Technical Analysis
From mostly weathered granite soils on estate vineyards, which gives the resultant wines a natural exuberance and youthful vigour.
Tasting note
The 2024 DMZ Grenache noir is beautifully light in colour, with an alluring aroma of red fruits such as strawberry, cranberries and sour cherry. The palate is full of flavour while being balanced with a subtle oak integration and soft tannin profile.
Vintage conditions
An unusually wet winter was followed by a cool Spring resulting in delayed budburst of about 2- 3 weeks, compared to the previous season. The delay in budburst meant the vines weren’t at risk to early season disease pressure. A moderate summer with a few intermittent heat spikes, which meant careful canopy management was necessary to protect the bunches from sunburn. Resultant fruit showed great poise and minerality, concentration and vibrancy, making the 2024 vintage a special one!
Vinification details
Grenache Noir grapes, sourced from the Estate, are whole bunch fermented with the aid of natural vineyard yeast, in concrete Nomblots over a period of 3 weeks, while only receiving gentle pump overs and delastage before receiving maturation of 8-10 months in 500L French Oak barrels before blending and bottling.
Technical Analysis
From mostly weathered granite soils on estate vineyards, which gives the resultant wines a natural exuberance and youthful vigour.
Tasting note
Spice and mulled red fruit enhance a bright and elegant nose, showcasing the wine's purity of fruit and depth of aroma. The palate is soft and appealing, with enough structure to provide a firm yet silky finish
Vintage conditions
A mild but wet winter ensured optimal soil conditions moving into the growing season. A relatively cool spring, interspersed with some rain, led to a delayed bud break and in some isolated instances uneven flowering. Warm weather in January helped alleviate any early season unevenness.
Vinification details
Grenache Noir grapes, sourced from the Estate, are whole bunch fermented with the aid of natural vineyard yeast, in concrete Nomblots over a period of 3 weeks, while only receiving gentle pump overs and delastage before receiving maturation of 8-10 months in 500L French Oak barrels before blending and bottling.
AWARDS
Tim Atkin MW: 92 pts
Technical Analysis
From mostly weathered granite soils on estate vineyards, which gives the resultant wines a natural exuberance and youthful vigour.
Tasting note
Spice and mulled red fruit are present on a bright and elegant nose. The wine shows purity of fruit and a lovely depth of aroma. The palate is soft and appealing, yet with enough structure to provide a firm yet silky finish.
Vintage conditions
2019 was a cooler vintage than the previous hot and dry years. Whilst the vineyards benefited from decent winter rainfall there were some latent stress effects from the previous year’s drought conditions. This resulted in some uneven budding and careful harvesting was necessary to achieve a total pick of optimum ripeness. Cool conditions during the early part of the ripening resulted in high acidities and low pH, resulting in wines that are fresh, precise and bright.
Vinification details
Fruit was carefully hand sorted and naturally fermented, whole berry with a percentage of whole bunches added to the fermenters. Post fermentation maceration was allowed for two weeks, followed by gentle pressing. Maturation was for a total of 18 months in French oak, in a selection of old 300 litre and 500 litre casks. The wine was bottled with minimal fining and filtration.
AWARDS
Tim Atkin MW: 90 pts
Technical Analysis
From mostly weathered granite soils on estate vineyards, which gives the resultant wines a natural exuberance and youthful vigour.
Tasting note
Spice and mulled red fruit are present on a bright and elegant nose. The wine shows purity of fruit and a lovely depth of aroma. The palate is soft and appealing, yet with enough structure to provide a firm yet silky finish. 100% Grenache.
Vintage conditions
2018 was a dry vintage in the Cape. Thunderstorms in early spring added a lot of nitrogen to the soils resulting in very healthy canopies going into the growing season. The daytime temperatures during the ripening period were cooler than those experienced in the very hot 2016 and 2017 vintages, with relatively cool evenings. Conditions were very dry though, with vine stress management being key to success. Fruit harvesting tended to be very early in 2018, with a focus on bringing fruit into the winery with lower sugar levels and lower pH levels.
Vinification details
Fruit was carefully hand sorted and naturally fermented, whole berry with a percentage of whole bunches added to the fermenters. Post fermentation maceration was allowed for two weeks, followed by gentle pressing. Maturation was for a total of 18 months in French oak, in a selection of old 300 litre and 500 litre casks. The wine was bottled with minimal fining and filtration.
Technical Analysis
From mostly weathered granite soils on estate vineyards, which gives the resultant wines a natural exuberance and youthful vigour.
Tasting note
Spice and mulled red fruit are present on a bright and elegant nose. The wine shows purity of fruit and a lovely depth of aroma. The palate is soft and appealing, yet with enough structure to provide a firm yet silky finish. 100% Grenache.
Vintage conditions
Conditions in 2016 were hot and dry, resulting in a rapid harvest. Care had to be taken to harvest as quickly as possible, in an effort to preserve the grape’s natural acid and freshness. Due to the dry conditions, the crop quality was excellent, although yields were lower than usual, averaging at around 6 tons per hectare.
Vinification details
The grapes were handpicked and selected in the early morning at between 21º and 22º Balling. Fruit was carefully hand sorted and naturally fermented, whole berry with a percentage of whole bunches added to the fermenters. Post fermentation maceration was allowed for two weeks, followed by gentle pressing. Maturation was for a total of 18 months in French oak, in a selection of old 300 litre and 500 litre casks. The wine was bottled with no fining and a minimal filtration.
AWARDS
Tim Atkin MW: 92 pts
