Technical Analysis
The Five Soldiers vineyard is named after five tall stone pine trees known as the 'Five Soldiers' that tower over this site at Rustenberg.
Tasting note
Characters of ripe citrus, melon and peach with great minerality, rounded out by well-judged oaking. A very complex wine with a long and creamy finish and a good acid backbone.
Vintage conditions
The 2023 vintage marked another vintage influenced by the La Niña weather phenomenon. The Autumn of 2022 was dry with below average and variable rainfall throughout the Winter. Spring too was dry, but cool, however, a massive cold front in December brought much needed rain, but increased disease pressure. This lead up to harvest set the scene for a challenging vintage and lower crop sizes. The early heatwaves experienced in January, as opposed to usually occurring in February, brought the white cultivars into line with their average picking dates and all of the white grapes were picked before the unseasonal rains experienced in late February and March. The cooler growing season and lower crops resulted in good acidity and concentration to the wines, while the warm lead up to harvest has given white wines from this vintage a burst of ripe fruit. All things considered, it was another good white wine vintage despite the challenging growing season.
Vinification details
After hand harvesting, the grapes were whole bunch pressed before fermentation in 300L French oak Hogshead barrels (72% new, 28% second fill) using wild yeasts. The wine underwent full malolactic fermentation and was aged on its lees for 14 months before bottling.
AWARDS
Vinous: 92 pts
James Suckling: 93 pts
Technical Analysis
The Five Soldiers vineyard is named after five tall stone pine trees known as the 'Five Soldiers' that tower over this site at Rustenberg.
Tasting note
Characters of ripe citrus, melon and peach with great minerality, rounded out by well-judged oaking. A very complex wine with a long and creamy finish and a good acid backbone.
Vintage conditions
The winter of 2021 was very cold and wet following a warm autumn. Bud burst was late and the cold, wet weather continued into Spring, requiring careful disease and canopy management. The cool, wet weather extended until the middle of December. These cold conditions meant that the white varietals had very healthy acid levels going into the harvest, while the abundance of water increased yields. From the middle of December onwards the weather warmed up considerably with three heatwaves being experienced in January and one in February. This warm weather helped to ripen the fruit fully and we picked slightly later than average. 2022, like 2021, is an excellent white wine vintage. It has the freshness of the cool growing season combined with the fruit expression of a warm end to the vintage and moderate alcohols thanks to the higher yields. The marathon vintage ended in late April and was the biggest and longest vintage in Rustenberg’s history.
Vinification details
After hand harvesting, the grapes were whole bunch pressed before fermentation in 300L French oak Hogshead barrels (70% new, 30% second fill) using wild yeasts. The wine underwent full malolactic fermentation and was aged on its lees for 15 months before bottling in June 23.
AWARDS
Technical Analysis
The Five Soldiers vineyard is named after five tall stone pine trees known as the 'Five Soldiers' that tower over this site at Rustenberg.
Tasting note
Characters of ripe citrus, melon and peach with great minerality, rounded out by well-judged oaking. A very complex wine with a long and creamy finish and a good acid backbone.
Vintage conditions
The 2021 vintage was produced with the challenges of COVID-19 ever present. The winter of 2020 started late after a warm autumn and was cold with plenty of rain. The cool and wet conditions extended well into spring, through summer and much of the harvest season. The result of these conditions was slow, steady, stress-free vineyard growth and fruit development. White grape yields were lower than average due to the impact of the weather during critical stages in fruit development. The white wines from the vintage ripened two weeks later than in 2020 and achieved full ripeness at lower sugar levels; producing wines with lower alcohols, excellent acidity and brilliant flavour development. These well-structured wines, with moderate alcohols and good acidity, should show plenty of potential to age.
Vinification details
After hand harvesting, the grapes were whole bunch pressed before fermentation in 300L French oak Hogshead barrels (70% new, 30% second fill) using wild yeasts. The wine underwent full malolactic fermentation and was aged on its lees for 15 months.
Technical Analysis
The Five Soldiers vineyard is named after five tall stone pine trees known as the 'Five Soldiers' that tower over this site at Rustenberg.
Tasting note
Characters of ripe citrus, melon and peach with great minerality, rounded out by well-judged oaking. A very complex wine with a long and creamy finish and a good acid backbone.
Vintage conditions
The 2020 vintage will be remembered as a good vintage produced under the spectre of the COVID-19 pandemic impacting the globe. Fortunately the harvest at Rustenberg was not affected by the government-sanctioned lockdowns, allowing all fruit to be picked and processed when ripe. A good winter in 2019 saw a return to average rainfall for the year. Two unusual weather events in the growing season, a large rainstorm and a heat wave, impacted some varietals flowering and berry set, however, in the context of the entire vintage these had a minor impact. Crop levels were up by 15% from the 2019 vintage, which saw a return to yields being average to slightly above average for most varietals. Quality wise, the white wines have superb acids and more moderate alcohols with wonderful fruit concentration.
Vinification details
After hand harvesting, the grapes were whole bunch pressed before fermentation in 300L French oak Hogshead barrels (70% new, 30% second fill) using wild yeasts. The wine underwent full malolactic fermentation and was aged on its lees for 15 months.
Technical Analysis
The Five Soldiers vineyard is named after five tall stone pine trees known as the 'Five Soldiers' that tower over this site at Rustenberg.
Tasting note
Carefully-selected Chardonnay bunches are hand harvested for this special wine and then given royal treatment in the cellar. Characters of ripe citrus, melon and peach with great minerality are rounded out by well-judged oaking. A very complex wine with a long and creamy finish and a good acid backbone.
Vintage conditions
The 2019 vintage was a challenging one for the Rustenberg team. While the winter of 2018 was a welcome break from the previous four winters of drought, most vineyards had not fully recovered and produced below average yields. A warm snap in June and a wet spring, coupled with a wetter than average summer harvesting season made 2019 a challenge, with some late harvest thinning or multiple harvests of the same vineyard required to achieve uniformity. Early and mid-season ripening varieties performed well, all achieving flavour ripeness at lower alcohol levels, while late ripening varieties required patience and extended time on the vines, again achieving lower alcohols overall, but creating ripe, structured wines.
Vinification details
After hand harvesting, the grapes were whole bunch pressed before fermentation in 300L French oak Hogshead barrels (70% new, 30% second fill) using wild yeasts. The wine underwent full malolactic fermentation and was aged on its lees for 15 months.
Technical Analysis
The Five Soldiers vineyard is named after five tall stone pine trees known as the 'Five Soldiers' that tower over this site at Rustenberg.
Tasting note
Carefully-selected Chardonnay bunches are hand harvested for this special wine and then given royal treatment in the cellar. Characters of ripe citrus, melon and peach with great minerality are rounded out by well-judged oaking. A very complex wine with a long and creamy finish and a good acid backbone.
Vintage conditions
This vintage was impacted by the fourth year of the ongoing drought in the region. The 2017 winter was cold and dry, followed by a dry spring and summer, with bouts of unusual weather. A number of thunderstorms resulted in a late onset of additional vigour in the vineyards. Unsettled weather and wind during flowering, along with a freak hail storm and low levels of soil moisture decreased yields by 20% to 50%. The harvest began closer to its average start date and the smaller berries and bunches yielded lower juice volumes per ton. The lower yields resulted in the wines showing excellent concentration and body, producing rich, robust reds and fruit forward, expressive whites and rosés.
Vinification details
After hand harvesting, the grapes were whole bunch pressed before fermentation in 300L French oak Hogshead barrels (70% new, 30% second fill) using wild yeasts. The wine underwent full malolactic fermentation and was aged on its lees for 15 months.
