Cats Tail Single Vineyard Syrah

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

Lomond is situated on The Agulhas Plain near the southernmost tip of Africa at Cape Agulhas – the meeting place of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans – 8km from the fishing village of Gansbaai and within sight of the sea. The vineyards were planted only on previously cultivated land within sight of the ocean. This maritime climate with the resulting cooling sea breezes ensures that the vineyards are kept cool which results in late ripening intense fruit. On the slopes of the Ben Lomond mountain in the Uilenkraal Valley, our vineyards are planted on as many as 18 different soil types, which appear naturally in small pockets along the slopes and produce intriguingly complex wines with flavour profiles that differ markedly from one block to the next. This unique combination of geography, geology, and climate results in terroir that is perfect for producing world-class wine. The Cape Agulhas appellation has its place among the world’s top winegrowing regions, and one about which we are incredibly passionate.

The vineyards are planted in north-west facing blocks on the lower reaches of the farm within view of the sea, in KoffieKlip and highly weathered soils. The vineyards of Lomond are surrounded by indigenous flora known as Fynbos. This single vineyard wine is named after a vulnerable listed species endemic to the Agulhas Region, Erica Lineata or CatsTail Erica

The wine matured for a period of 18 months in the same barrels. the barrels were then tasted and screened to ensure that only the best barrels were selected for fining and filtration.

The hand-picked and hand-sorted grapes were destemmed and inoculated with a selected yeast culture. The fermentation temperature was carefully controlled, reaching a peak temperature of 27 ̊C. The skins were carefully punched-down by hand with the level of extraction evaluated through tasting during fermentation. On completion of fermentation, the wine spent a further three weeks on the skins for optimal extraction of colour and flavour. The free-run juice pressed gently into firstand second-fill barrels. Malolactic fermentation occurred naturally after which the wine was racked.