IXIA · Cabernet Sauvignon

Vintage 2018

WINEMAKING

The wine is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot from the 2018 vintage. The fruit was carefully selected and hand-picked in the early hours of the morning into lug-boxes, and placed into a cold-room at 5˚C and left overnight. The bunches were then de-stemmed and crushed separately into open fermenters and covered with CO2 to cold-soak for 12 hours. The following day the juice was inoculated with yeast and alcoholic fermentation took place at 25˚C for the next 6 days, with regular punch-downs of 4 to 6 times per day. At 1˚Balling the wine was carefully racked into a tank while the skins were lightly pressed for gentle juice extraction. The wine was then transferred into barrels for malolactic fermentation and thereafter aged for 18 months in 25% new, 40% 2nd-fill
and 35% 3rd-fill French oak barrels.

TASTING NOTES

The wine is classically styled and shows of beautiful black currants and intense ripe plums on the nose, with subtle hints of Cape fynbos and wood spice, which are neatly framed by the vanilla and cinnamon flavours from the French oak. The perfect ripening conditions of 2018 also bring an attractive richness to the palate as well as delicate spicy notes, all of
which points to a wine with a fine tannin structure that promises great ageing potential.