Spier 21 Gables Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

ABOUT THE WINE

As a proudly South African winery dating back to 1692, the 21 Gables range pays homage to Spier’s winemaking heritage of more than 300 years. The 21 architecturally significant gables remain preserved on the estate to this day. Prominent since the latter part of the 19th century, Cabernet Sauvignon has traditionally been used in crafting some of South Africa’s most prestigious reds. Admired for its adaptability, today, it is the country’s most widely planted red grape. The 21 Gables Cabernet Sauvignon offers an elegantly wooded expression that is big, bold and magnificently flavourful.

COLOUR, NOSE & PALATE

Deep ruby red in the glass with a vibrant, youthful rim, this rich yet perfumed wine offers an abundance of cassis and violets notes, moving to cedar and pencil lead aromas. The wine is full-bodied, with a concentrated structure and opulent finish.

WINEMAKING

Once the grapes were handpicked and destemmed in the cellar, they were individually sorted to ensure only the best coloured and sized fruit were selected. Fermentation occurred in stainless-steel fermenters for 24 days with an extended skin maceration of 15 days. The free-run wine was then barrelled down into 70% new French oak barrels for 26 months. Barrel selection was done to make the perfect blend of the original single vineyard site.

VINEYARD & TERROIR

The Cabernet Sauvignon vines are grown along the west-north-westerly-facing slope of the majestic Helderberg - the southern side of Stellenbosch. The vineyard consists of 16-year-old vines located a mere 7km from the False Bay coast and between 270 and 300m above sea level. Thanks to the proximity of the ocean, the vines are treated to a cooling Atlantic ocean breeze which encourages slow ripening. The foliage is manicured to withstand the onslaught of cool south-easterly winds and to enable the bunches to develop colour and flavour evenly. While conditions can be windy at altitude, the decomposed granitic soil features clay in the subsoil, which aids in moisture retention and promotes even ripening. This results in small berries concentrated in flavour and tannin.