Jonkershoek Cabernet Sauvignon

Venison and ribeye on the bone

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. Today the experience and knowledge of the past are applied to modern techniques and technologies for a new generation of winemaking. “Our vision remains to make distinctive refined wines that are expressive of their terrain and rank amongst South Africa’s finest. A pursuit of quality nothing less.” Neil Ellis

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

This wine spent 18 months in French oak barrels.

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.