We all have differing opinions when it comes to deciding on what makes the perfect blend in a wine. Some say it’s the soil, some say it’s the vineyard’s proximity to the ocean while others say it’s all down to the company and occasion on which you enjoy the wine. One thing’s for sure: it’s certainly all about the grapes!
We recently made up the final blends for the 2011 Metamorphic Range with wine consultant Bruwer Raats. The merlot grapes showed an exceptional range of flavours with result that the 2011 Quarry is 100% Merlot from three different Merlot blocks and three different barrel coopers (all French coopers). After blending, the Merlot went back into barrel for a further nine months and will probably be bottled in November 2012.
The Hornfels 2011 blend is made up of 37.5% Cabernet Franc, 25% Malbec, 12.5% Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It is a full rich wine which still retains as “elegance” for which Hillcrest is renowned. The increased percentage of Cabernet Franc, compared to the previous vintage is mainly responsible for this flavour characteristic. The blend will spend a further nine months in oak of which 80% is new. Only 8 barrels are made.
So while we wait for the Metamorphic range to mature, it’s all stations go with the anticipation of the 2012 harvest. There’s a huge cleaning frenzy taking our cellar, crushers, conveyor belt, de-stemmers & tanks by storm to get ready for the harvest of our grapes. We’re inviting you to join us in the celebrations and activities of our annual harvest on 21 March 2012. We’ll give you more details on this fun-filled day next week & hopefully you’ll also agree by the end of your grape crushing experience that it really is all about the grapes.
