Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 Franschhoek (Seven Chair)

Tasting Notes:
Ample dark berry fruits show on a relatively shy but inviting nose, with a plethora of subtle spice, herbaceous
aromas and fine floral nuances. Blackberries and dark cherries follow through onto a layered palate, with
bright flavours of brambles, mulberries and red liquorice, and hints of graphite minerality, cedar spiciness
and a gentle sous-bois character, creating utter complexity. A pure, crystalline fruit profile is perfectly
balanced with bright freshness, integrated acidity, and very fine-grained, cocoa-powdery tannins, all
contributing to the wine's sublime structure and exceptional depth. The mid-palate is vibrant, textured and
lithe with a classic Bordeaux nervosité and silkiness. Blueberries, nutmeg and cloves linger on a sappy, pure
finish.

Winemaking Philosophy (Vinification):
We vinify gently to avoid huge, monstrous wines. Grapes were picked by hand into small lug boxes and then
bunch sorted with berry selection and careful de-stemming. The grapes underwent a cold maceration in
tulip-shaped concrete vessels, and fermentation took place at temperatures between 27° and 30°C, with
frequent pump-overs to extract aromas, colour and tannins. After spontaneous alcoholic fermentation, a
prolonged malolactic fermentation occurred naturally in 225-litre barriques. The wine was matured on our
OXOline system for 22 months in 80% new light toast, long seasoned French oak from our preferred coopers,
Sylvain and Saury.

Vineyards & Winemaker's Notes:
Grapes for our Franschhoek Cabernet Sauvignon are picked from individual vineyards planted adjacent to
one another, grown from deep alluvial soils of the valley, and from our own farm vineyards, on decomposed
Granitic soils found on slopes surrounding Boekenhoutskloof. The Cabernet Sauvignon and small portion of
Cabernet Franc vineyards planted at Boekenhoutskloof have been organically farmed for 12 years now and
produce exceptional quality fruit, with each ongoing vintage. This vintage is particularly exciting since we
decided to use even more fruit from these organically farmed vineyards.
Our 2019 Franschhoek vintage was great, with exceptionally long hang times. The harvest started in late
March/beginning of April. The later picking times were caused by the dry Autumn conditions and cooler
nighttime temperatures, prolonging the Cabernet Sauvignon hang times, resulting in elegant and perfumed
wines with classic claret-like fruit profiles. We again opted to blend in a percentage of Cabernet Franc (10%)
from our old mountain vineyard on the farm, which lends subtle fragrance and finesse to the dark fruit spectrum.
We intended to create a classic Cabernet Sauvignon and respect the signature Boekenhoutskloof style. We
worked with a dark berry fruit profile and captured the vintage's full, rich character and deep flavours.

Varietal Composition: 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc