2021 - Cabernet Sauvignon, Boekenhoutskloof, Stellenbosch

The 2021 Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon follows the trend of previous vintages. The wine begins with a dusty and firm profile with broad shoulders and a tight tannic grip. It is softly herbal and spicy, featuring hints of mint, granite and pencil lead, culminating in a still-tight finish. This bottle would benefit from some additional years of aging. After the wine aged for 22 months in 60% new French oak, 34,474 bottles were filled. This promises to evolve beautifully with patience.

The 2021Cabernet Sauvignon Stellenbosch contains no Cabernet Franc. It is matured 60% in new French barriques for 22 months. This is more compact on the nose than the Franschhoek bottling with darker fruit, perhaps a little more Old World inspired. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, crisp and focused. It’s edgier than the Franschhoek cuvée, full of energy with a focused, graphite-infused finish lingering long in the mouth. Excellent.

Full bottle 1,356 g. From selected parcels planted on north-west facing slopes of the Helderberg Mountain and a south-east facing slope of Vlottenburg. These pockets grow on a combination of deep, decomposed granite soils with Table Mountain sandstone and koffieklip. Mild maritime influence from the cool False Bay coast and granitic soils. Each harvest parcel is individually destemmed and crushed into tulip-shaped concrete tanks where they undergo a cold maceration period and spontaneous fermentation at temperatures between 27 °C and 30° C. Frequent pumpovers and occasional délestage. After alcoholic fermentation, a prolonged malolactic conversion occurred naturally in 225-litre barriques. The wine was matured on their OXOline system for 22 months in 60% new light-toast, long-seasoned French oak from Sylvain and Saury. Very dark crimson. Richer and darker than the Franschhoek Cabernet but also with a stony quality to it, more mineral with a touch of lead pencil. Open and fragrant. Pure, intense cassis fruit but not sweet-fruited, dark and utterly refined in flavour and smooth texture. Compact and very fine tannins, caressing. A powerful and refined wine that carries its alcohol well to a long, plush and attractively dry finish. A pure, elegant and harmonious beauty that has a long future but is delicious now if you want to focus on the fruit. (JH)