Cape Heights - Cabernet Sauvignon | South African Red Wine

The grapes for this Cabernet Sauvignon are sourced from vineyards that border the warm Swartland/Wellington area and also the Breede Rivier Valley. The vast variety of soils gives the final wine an interesting complexity. As the vines are over 25+ years old, lower yields of 6-8 tonnes/ha help to deliver flavoursome, concentrated fruit and the berries are picked when fully phenologically ripe. The grapes are destemmend and crushed, with a slow start to fermentation at a low temperature 17C then gradually increasing after three days to 22 – 24C for full fermentation. Pump-over takes place twice daily to wet the cap and aerate the fermenting wine. Wine is fermented down to 5 g/litre residual sugar and pressed before being pumped back into stainless steel tanks. This ensures soft tannins and no-over extraction of any harsh tannins. Malo-lactic fermentation follows and the wine is kept on the lees until bottling.