The Tawny Brooks

Selected bunches were handpicked mid to late February from row selected vines in specific blocks at 26o Balling. Bunches were destemmed, crushed and rapidly cooled in a small open fermenter. Grapes were left to spontaneously start fermenting after which at the desired sugar the fermentation was stopped by adding alcohol to the must.

Portuguese varietals were planted in Calitzdorp during the late 1970’s with Tinta Barocca being the first to find its way to the Klein Karoo. Now Calitzdorp is known as South Africa’s Port Capital with these varietals leading the way. 30 year old vines were planted in shallow Karoo sand/clay on Buffelsvlei. Vines are trellised and micro irrigated.

Skins were then pressed and the wine was aged in old small 225 liter barrels. The wine was blended from a range of different vintages between five and 15 years.

The Heritage wines are made in a pre-modern, natural style, like top end Vouvray Chenin. We joined forces with one of the best from the homeland of Chenin and got Vincent Carême involved to help guide each vintage into a very fine wine. The process is very simple: whole bunch pressing, no Sulphur on the juice, natural yeast fermentation and very limited use of new French oak.

Leeuwenkuil block Q survived 34 seasons under dry-land farmed conditions. The 2 800 vines per hectare compete for every drop of valuable moisture in the clay and shale-dominated soil. The fruit is beautiful, tight bunches with berries of high natural acidity. 2020 was a cool, dry, long growing season. While yields on these dry-land farmed, old bush-vine vineyards were extremely low, fresh acidity and complex, layered flavour profile made for an excellent vintage.

Aged for 14 months before filling.

Selected grapes were handpicked at 24.5º Balling. Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barocca grapes were vinified separately in open fermenters until fermentation has stopped. Skins were then pressed and the wine was left to undergo malolactic fermentation in concrete tanks.

Portuguese varieties were planted in Calitzdorp during the early 1970’s with Tinta Barocca being the first to find its way to the Klein Karoo. The red clay soils and continental climate of Calitzdorp, very similar to that of the Douro valley in Portugal, is ideal for growing these unique varieties. All vines are micro-irrigated on VSP trellising systems to ensure the best quality fruit possible.

After malolactic fermentation the wine was matured in new, 2nd, 3rd and 4th fill French Oak barrels for 12 months. After ageing, the best barrels were meticulously selected and the final blend was made from these barrels.

The 2023 season will be remembered for the dry and warmer winter; generally good growing conditions during the vegetative growth phase, good rain shortly before véraison which benefitted quality, and a cool and wet ripening period which gave grapes a chance to ripen optimally at a slower rate. Cooler conditions slowed the ripening of grapes, but the harvest commenced at the usual time in early February. Excellent flavour, as well as colour profiles, were observed.