This is an elegant, complex wine that is showing beautifully integrated fruit and savoury notes. It has aromas of cranberry, pomegranate, rose, rosemary and bruised strawberry on the nose. The palate presents fresh acidity, plenty of fruit, with hints of olive tapenade, and supple tannins, while maintaining a wonderful vibrancy and freshness.  This wine is drinking well now and will improve through 2030.

Fruit was hand-picked and delivered to the cellar in small crates. Approximately 70% of the grapes were de-stemmed and added to the remainder, which were left as whole clusters. The temperature of the must was then lowered for a few days, after which the tank was allowed to warm up for fermentation to begin. This fermentation regime keeps extraction to a minimum, while allowing for a slow, extended maceration period of four weeks. No commerical yeasts were used for fermentation. The wine remained in 228 litre, lightly toasted French oak barrels for ten months, 15% of which was new. The wine was bottled after a light filtration

Tasting Notes: Red cherries, cranberry, rose and lavender lead the way aromatically before tomato leaf and sumac. The palate is dense and focused, with a tartness from sour cherry and rhubarb balanced by riper notes from mulberry and black cherry. A dry, grippy tannin profile supports the weight of fruit.

Includes grapes from two new Hemel en Aarde Ridge vineyards planted to replicate the premium Cuvée Cinéma site. Red and black cherry, musk, fynbos and oak spice on the nose while the palate has good weight and might even be described as plush. Altogether nicely balanced thanks to bright acidity and grippy tannins that again make for a dry finish. Alc: 14%. CE’s rating: 91/100.

ANALYSIS: ALC 13.99% | TA 5.5g/L | pH 3.60 | RS 1.8g/L