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Alto Rouge 2020

Alto Rouge 2020

R130,00

The Alto Rouge consists of 5 grape varieties: Cabernet Franc, Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. The grapes for this wine come from north- and northwest-facing vineyards located on the slopes of the Helderberg Mountains. Thus, the vines are cooled by a fresh breeze in the afternoon, supporting the wine’s elegance and balance. The Alto Rouge is a deep ruby-red in the glass. On the nose, aromas of red fruit are predominant, along with hints of chocolate and light notes of woodchips. This cuvée is distinguished by its soft tannins and wonderful fruit aromas. Overall, this is a wine with style, lots of complexity and a high ageing potential. Winemaker Bertho van de Westhuizen recommends enjoying the Alto Rouge with game birds and tender red meat.

Specifications

SKU: ALT_001_01
Alcohol Volume: 14%
Sugar G/L: 2.7 g/l
Type of wine: Other Red Wines, Red Wine
Cultivar: Other Red Wines
Food Pairing: Cheese, Italian, Meat, Poultry

6 in stock

More Information

In the cellar

The 5 grape varieties used to make up this blend ripen at different times and were harvested at 24° to 26° Balling. Each varietal was vinified separately and fermented on the skins for over seven days at 25° to 27°C in closed stainless-steel tanks. The fermenting mash was pumped over several times a day.

In the vineyard

The 5 varietals were handpicked from trellised vineyards which grow in Hutton and Glenrosa soils. The north and north-west facing vineyards are situated against the slopes of the Helderberg Mountain, some 100m to 500m above sea level, and benefit from the cooling effects of the afternoon maritime breezes during the ripening season. At the time of picking the vines were between 4 and 27 years old and yielded 6 to 9 tons per hectare.

Ageing

Perfect to drink now, or can be aged for a further 8 to 10 years from date of vintage.

Cultivar

30% Cabernet Franc, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Shiraz, 12% Petit Verdot, 11% Merlot

Food Pairing

Perfect on its own or with roast chicken, lamb chops or grilled beef. This wine also pairs well matured cheeses such as Cheddar and Edam.

About the Wine Estate

That was thanks to the foresight of the farmer Manie Malan who, together with his father Hennie, recognised that the property’s unique aspect, soils and slopes were ideal for crafting full-bodied red wines. They named the farm Alto, homage to both the farm’s altitude and the family’s pursuit of excellence. The cellar and homestead they built still stand on the estate today. The Malan’s nurtured and expanded these vineyards for four decades, before selling the property to Piet du Toit in 1959. On purchasing the farm Du Toit employed a team of experts to evaluate the terroir and soils, and confirm if the right cultivars were planted across the estate. The consensus? Manie Malan’s intuition couldn’t be faulted. Alto was, and remains, the realm of superlative red wines. In 1983 Piet retired, handing the honour of Alto winemaker to his son Hempies du Toit, a man as famous for his exploits on the rugby field as in the wine cellar. With the turn of the century came a new winemaker in Schalk van der Westhuizen, who further cemented Alto’s reputation in South Africa and abroad. In 2015 he continued the Alto tradition of passing the baton down through the generations, with his son Bertho van der Westhuizen becoming only the fifth winemaker in Alto’s long history.

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