Saartjie Cabernet Franc 2023

Saartjie Single Vineyard Selection Cabernet Franc 2023 Tasting Notes Hand-selected grapes from a north-west facing single block of Cabernet Franc — a mere 1 000 vines planted in well-drained Hutton and Oakleaf soils. A light- to medium-bodied wine with a vibrant red colour. Hints of chalk, intense spice and flower blossom on the nose; subtle berry flavours, green peppercorn and all things spice on the palate. Firm structure, soft tannins and a long finish. Enjoy now or within a few years. Winemaker Arno Smith Vineyard North-west facing vineyards in Durbanville Soil Type Well-drained Hutton & Glenrosa soils Vineyard Area Small block — 0.39 hectares in extent, with a mere 1 000 vines Trellis Vertical shoot positioning (VSP) with two movable wires Irrigation Used sparingly, to supplement evaporative losses during grape ripening Harvested At optimum ripeness — two pickings, 12 February to 28 February Degree Balling Between 21.5 ˚B and 23.5 ˚B Fermentation Cold soaking on skins for two nights with repeated pump-overs to extract maximum colour and flavour in a non-alcoholic environment. After fermentation the wine was racked into 225 L French oak barrels — 10% new, the rest 2nd fill — for 12 months of barrel maturation. Analysis Alc: 12.85% | RS: 2.8 g/l | TA: 5.5 g/l | pH: 3.62 Fixed a duplicated "years. years." at the end of the tasting note, and the same Hutton/Oakleaf vs Hutton/Glenrosa mismatch appears here too.