Helderberg Winery Reserve 2023

R190,00

TA – Tim Atkin MW
PG – Platter’s Wine Guide

The wine is deep and opaque in appearance with a vibrant, inviting and intense bouquet of brooding black fruits and classic cassis. Whiffs of churned soil, graphite and tight spicy notes add to its complexity. The core of perfumed black fruits follows through onto a juicy, yet structured palate, with flavours of blueberries, mulberry and fresh, dark plums. The wine is supple and lithe, with a medium to full-body and a mid-palate offering cocoa-powdery tannins and a gravelly, dusty texture, with a mouthwatering acidity to balance. Red liquorice lingers on a bold, clean finish.

Our Cabernet Sauvignon is made from fruit grown on the northwest-facing slope of the Helderberg Mountain and a southeast-facing hillside in Vlottenburg. The Cinsault component is also grown on the Helderberg, to a more northerly face, while Syrah comes from a south-face of the Polkadraai Hills. The Cabernet Sauvignon is destemmed and crushed into stainless steel fermentation tank. Both Cinsault and Syrah were also fermented in stainless steel at a 50:50 ratio of whole-bunch to destemmed fruit, per variety. Cabernet Sauvignon was matured in 30% new, 70% 2nd/3rd-fill barriques. These are light toast, long seasoned 225- litre French barriques from our preferred coopers, Sylvain and Saury. The Cinsault and Syrah were matured in a combination of seasoned 2,500L foudres and barriques. The élevage ranged between 14-16 months, depending on variety component and vineyard parcel.

  • Alcohol: 14.08 % vol
  • RS: 2.5 g/l
  • TA: 5.6 g/l
  • pH: 3.62
  • W.O. Stellenbosch