Neil Ellis Jonkershoek Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
R640,00
Intense dark colour. A subtle, intriguing and appetizing nose with blue and blackberries and typical cedar aromas from the Jonkershoek Valley. The palate is nervous and fresh, followed by a well-defined tannin structure. This is a wine built to last and early drinking would benefit with decanting
More Information
Specifications
In the cellar
The winter of 2018 was the 4th year of drought conditions in the Western Cape of South Africa. The effect of the drought carried over in 2018 with a relatively warm winter. Early budding resulted in an early harvest season. During ripening the average day time temperatures were moderate followed by cool evenings. This resulted in heterogeneity in the ripening of the Cabernet Berries. Harvest commenced on 21 February 2019. Grapes were harvested at 25.5°B with a total acid of 7.5 g/l and a pH of 3.5. Yield: 6.1Tons/Ha Grapes were destemmed and underwent a whole berry fermentation. The grapes underwent a series of pump overs until dry. Malolactic fermentation was completed in French oak barrels. This wine spent 18 months in French oak barrels.
Bottled in December 2020.
In the vineyard
The grapes were sourced from a south-west facing trellised vineyard grown
in decomposed granite and Table Mountain sandstone.
Ageing
18 months
Cultivar
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Food Pairing
Venison and ribeye on the bone
Awards and Recognition
This flagship wine has won gold medals at the Decanter awards, the International Wine Challenge (IWC), Double Golds at Veritas Awards and one of the most outstanding reviews on winemag.co.za. It stands for a balance between elegance and power.
About the Wine Estate
In 1984 Neil Ellis sourced grapes from vineyards not of his own and produced wine in rented cellar space. These grapes were sourced in the Stellenbosch district and meant a lot of nosing around the restrictive quota system prevalent at the time.
His vision, the pursuit of quality, extended out of the cellar and into the vineyards where varieties would excel and best express a particular style of wine reflective of their environment.