The vintage was warmer than most and quite dry, resulting in grapes being harvested one week earlier than normal, giving big full-bodied reds across the wine industry. 2002 was marked by widespread downy mildew especially in the Stellenbosch area. This forced us to source grapes from Malmesbury for the first time. These Malmesbury grapes were very ripe and added serious concentration. Luckily we had a small patch of Stellenbosch fruit to add finesse. The grapes were cooled overnight and crushed the next day into open cement fermentation tanks. Allowed to cold macerate for three days before being inoculated with Rhone sourced yeast. Average fermentation temperature was 24°C. Once fermented dry, the grapes were pressed and the wine underwent malolactic fermentation in tank.
The wine spent 12 months in 75% French Oak and 25% American oak. 30% of the barrels were new, 50% 2nd fill and 20% 4th fill.
This vintage contained a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon by default.
Tasting Notes
Appearance
Dark plumy viscose.
Nose
Dark fruit, rich chocolate and spice.
Palate
Big, rich entry with plums, mulberry and dark chocolate. Mid palate savoury and meaty with concentrated dark fruit. This big wine was well balanced by good wood and full ripe tannins.
Grapes were sourced from two vineyard sites
Malmesbury harvested on 27th February 2002 and 1st March 2002.
Bottelary, Stellenbosch Mooiplaas harvested on 1st March 2002.
Average analysis of fruit at harvest
26.4° Balling, TA – 5.8 g/l, pH – 3.8
Analysis of the wine
Alcohol: 15.5%
pH: 3.62
TA: 5.9 g/l
RS: 2.12 g/l
12 600 bottles of this vintage were produced.
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