Stellenrust is one of the largest family-owned wine estates in South-Africa. They started their estate in 1928 and expended over the years. Nowadays, they have almost 400 hectares of land spread out over the 'Golden triangle' & Bottelary Hills. This sub-region is not only known because of its impressive landscape, but it is also the residence of the most famous wine producers of the country. The wine maker Tertius Boshoff highly values a fair-trade product. In 2005, they decided to give a little back to their 70 employees & gave them a permanent contract and empowered them on 100 hectares of their land, as main shareholders.
Wine Specifications:
Variety
This young Bordeaux blend is made of the three grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc & Merlot.
Nature of the Soils
The grapes are coming from three parts: the Helderberg, Devon Valley & Bottelary Hills. These soils mainly consist granite, shale, sandstone and clay.
Harvesting
Stellenrust has a traditional harvesting when talking about the harvesting of the Sauvignon Blanc grapes. They believe that sectional harvesting results in a better quality of their wine. A third is picked at 18 bailing (greener flavours), another third is picked at 20 bailing and the last third at 23 bailing (more tropical flavours). The three harvests are fermented separately to create three tanks that capture all the characteristics this grape can offer.
Surface of the Vineyards
200 hectares (494 Acres).
Alcohol Percentage
13.4% Vol.
Vinification of the Wine
After the harvest, the grapes were crushed & allowed to cold macerate between two & four days. French yeast strains were added to the juice. The fermentation on the skin lasted between 14 & 20 days with some period of hotter fermentation (29 degrees) & colder fermentation (20 degrees). The different temperatures gave the extraction some fruit & tannin hints, but also array more flavour. The Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc & Merlot partially finished the malolactic fermentation in different barrels and matured separately on the fermentation lees for about 18 months. After these months, all the juice was blended and allowed another 6 months of maturation in woorden barrels.
Tasting Notes
This 'timeless' wine offers some fresh notes in the nose. In the mouth, the palate offers some hints of dark berries, cassis & mint chocolate. The finish is long with some well-balanced tannines, which are concentrated on the mid-palate of the tongue.
