Signature

Lamb shank served with a red wine jus.

As one of South Africa's leading ambassadors and one of the most recognizable faces in the world of sport it is befitting that Ernie chose Stellenbosch to produce his wines. In 1999 the concept of Ernie Els Wines was born and with the help of award-winning winemaker Louis Strydom they produced the maiden 2000 vintage of Ernie Els - a 'classic' Bordeaux blend. The intention from the outset was to focus on delivering a quality product that could hold its own in the company of the world's finest wines.

The effect of the drought still lingers in the background. We continued our effort in the canopy, managing water use to irrigate as little as possible, focusing on our aim of quality. The 2019 season started surprisingly cool with no heat waves hitting us. One challenge that arose was uneven bud burst – this, we managed selectively during harvesting, followed by berry selection at the cellar. The mild stress of the vines was eased by the cooler temperatures that we experienced, allowing for smaller berries that are always of importance to us. During fruit ripening, the cooler weather persisted. This gave the grapes some fantastic hang time and development, which we usually can’t afford due to the fast sugar accumulation. All fruit was sourced from the Ernie Els Wines property, with vineyards that grow on the warm north-facing slopes of the Helderberg region within the Stellenbosch appellation. Each variety is separately managed to create unique and varied flavour profiles for this classic Bordeaux-style blend. With an altitude of approximately 250 metres above sea level, together with the cooling influence of the Atlantic Ocean, the ripening period can be extended resulting in wines with phenolic ripeness.

Aged for 18 months in French oak barrels (60% new)

The grapes were hand-harvested in the cool hours of the early morning. Whole berries were fermented in open top tanks with intermittent pump-overs and punch-downs to ensure a balance between flavour, colour and tannin extraction from the skins. All ferments were meticulously monitored to ensure that the natural aromas and flavours could be preserved. After primary fermentation, some tanks underwent extended maceration. Each variety was matured separately according to and oaking regime suited to each batch, before final blending and bottling.