Sun & Air Cinsault, 2018

Boutinot has been refining and re-defining it's Cinsault vineyards over the last three years. Cinsault has bewilderingly been overlooked for so long in the Cape but it is a grape variety we have proudly been championing for years. It is great that the voice of the Cape's cool Atlantic vineyards are finally finding favor with wine drinkers. The vines are mostly 65 year old bush vines from hidden corners of the Cape. No irrigation is used on the vineyards and very little crop control is needed due to the age of the vines naturally restricted yield. The climate is perfect for viticulture, with the low rainfall in summer months, tempered by cool afternoon breezes and the cold winters, allowing the vines to rest and build up reserves. All the grapes are picked by hand at optimal phenolic ripeness, then crushed for flavor not color, followed by a fermentation using delestage in which the juice is oxygenated which brings a lower concentration of tannins and a higher concentration of esters, key compounds that contribute fruitiness. The result is a wine, in which red fruit dominates full off and which is full of juiciness.