Keep your spirits high this winter season with Cederberg Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, our Wine of the Week.
Benefiting from diverse soil types, unpolluted air and free-flowing crystal-clear water, Cederberg Wines is situated at 1 036 metres above sea level in a virus-free growing area. Consequently, 250 kilometres from Cape Town, you will find the highest wine farm in the Western Cape. The climate is described as cool continental. In summer, expect a dramatic temperature drop at night; and, in winter, snow-capped mountains.
Grapes for the Cederberg Cabernet Sauvignon are hand-harvested and cold-soaked for two days before being inoculated with yeast. During fermentation, colour/flavour extraction takes place with regular pump-overs every six hours along with two to three manual punch-downs of the grape cap. A maximum temperature of 27°C is reached.
On completion of fermentation, a further 10 to 14 days of extended skin maceration takes place before pressing and transferring into 225l French oak barrels. Malolactic fermentation is completed in barrel and maturation is over 15 months in oak barrels with medium and medium-plus toasting.
Sandy Harper, a Cape Wine Master with more than 20 years of experience in wine tasting, says: “This is a fine example of Cabernet Sauvignon from high-altitude, cooler growing conditions, rendering a wine of elegance and poise, rather than the blockbuster style that is more typical of warmer growing conditions.”
Sandy describes the taste of Cederberg Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 as follows:
“A deep, dark, dense colour with only a hint of a paling rim. The nose greets with blackcurrants and plump black cherries with a distinctive dusty, herbaceous note so typical of the refined taste profile of this high-altitude vineyard. On the palate, the dark fruit lingers with a vibrancy which gives way to smooth, chalky tannins and a lingering aftertaste.”
This Cabernet Sauvignon is drinking beautifully now but will reward those with the patience to cellar it for a few years. When it comes to food pairing, keep it simple and the Cederberg Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 will keep the chef crown on your head.
Be very single-minded when it comes to its partnering needs: Protein, big and preferably cooked rare. The tannins in the wine will connect with the protein in the meat to create magic – every time. Cederberg Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 goes well with steak, lamb with not too much fat, and beef stew. As for cheese pairings, think Beaufort, gouda, younger cheddars, double gloucester, amsterdammer, and stilton.
Wine estate name: Cederberg Private Cellar
Location: Cederberg Wilderness Area, Western Cape
In Collaboration with: wine.co.za
