Drawing Board

Beef, Lamb, Game (deer, venison), Poultry

A small family winery at the end of the Upper Blaauwklippen Road in the mountains above Stellenbosch South Africa. Established in 1992 by architect David Trafford & artist wife Rita with the focus on high end red wines of great intensity & longevity using minimal intervention production methods.

Winter rainfall was higher than the previous two vintages, but about average and slightly warmer than average. Bud break was rather uneven and required additional attention to foliage management during the growing period. A relatively cool wet spring, which continued throughout much of the growing season. The high fungal pressure required adhering diligently to a suitable spray program throughout the season. Regular rainfall and low day and night temperatures during the ripening period meant there was no water stress and ripening was gentle and slow. A challenging, but exciting vintage with good acidity and a more elegant style.

New 225L French oak and a small portion in an amphora for the first year before being blended and matured in an old 700L barrel for another 14 months. Bottled by hand, unfined and unfiltered, on the property.

Handpicked, 100% destemmed and gently crushed directly into open top fermenters. Spontaneous natural yeast fermentation @ max. temp. 30°C. Time on skins around 15 days, with cap of skins punched down (pigeage) 1 – 3 times a day. Wine drained directly to barrels together with a single pressing from our traditional basket press. Malolactic fermentation in the barrel.