Cape Heights Shiraz

3430560010671

This wine was made with the barbecue in mind. It is a great partner to homemade burgers or sticky spare ribs.

Wow, the best Cape Heights Shiraz we've ever made, this is absolutely reflects the super fantastic vintage. It is proof of how far South African reds have come in the past ten years. It is fresh, vibrant, positively thrumming with sappy wiry fruit with a bright mineral palate, cranberry fruit and a long essential finish.

The vineyards for this Shiraz clamber up the foothills of the Swartland mountains that are comprised of sandstone and alluvial soils. This region is hot and dry which forces these unirrigated vines to work hard to produce low yields and small berries. Produced from only free run juice and fermented on skins in stainless steel tanks, a portion of the grapes are "whole bunch" fermented as the ripe stems add to the overall tannin quality of the wine. The remainder of the grapes are de-stemmed and pressed. After a third of the sugar has fermented, delestage is done once per day. The wine is drawn off at the bottom of the tank and transferred into a separate tank. Once complete, it is then transferred back into the fermentation tank onto the skins and stems. This method ensures more air is incorporated into the wine which helps to release the fresh, fruity and spicy aromas known so well in this wine. When the final blend has been made, it is aged on fine lees for an extended period in French oak barrels along with around 15% from the previous vintage. This ensures a more complex wine with greater palate weight and mouthfeel.