Description
Saartjie Cabernet Franc 2018
The Saartjie Cabernet Franc 2018 is a well-structured wine displaying a bright red hue. There are chalky notes on the nose with a lovely minerality coming through. On the palate, there are hints of peppery spice, floral notes, and red berries. A firm but soft tannin structure allows this wine to be enjoyed now but will benefit from further aging.
The Saartjie range of single cultivar wines, are estate-grown and produced from small single blocks of vines. The utmost care and careful selection take place to ensure only the best wines are produced as a result. The Saartjie name was introduced after our winemaker’s Jack Russell pup, Saartjie.
Analysis:
Alc: 14.56%
RS: 2.6 g/l
TA: 5.6 g/l
pH: 3.70
Tasting Notes
VINEYARD:
North West facing slopes
SOIL TYPE:
Well drained Hutton & Glenrosa soils
VINEYARD AREA:
Small blocks varying between 0.3 & 1.2 hectares in extent.
TRELLIS:
Vertical shoot positioning (VSP) with two movable wires
IRRIGATION:
Used sparingly, to supplement evaporative losses during grape ripening & verasion (changing from green to red colour)
HARVESTED:
At optimum ripeness during early and middle March. Petit Verdot the latest ripener was harvested in early April.
DEGREE BALLING:
Between 23.5˚ & 24.5˚B for all 5 cultivars -hence the relatively low alcohol concentration
FERMENTATION:
Cold soaking on skins for two nights with repeated pump overs to extract maximum colour & flavour in a non-alcoholic environment. After fermentation, wine was racked into 30% new & 2nd fill 225L French oak barrels. Nine months barrel maturation.
