Description
The 2023 vintage opens with concentrated aromas of cassis, dark plum, and black cherry layered with subtle spice and cedar from well-judged oak maturation. The palate is full-bodied and structured, yet balanced and polished, showing depth of fruit alongside notes of dark chocolate and savory complexity. Fine tannins carry the wine through a long, smooth finish.
This Cape Blend pairs beautifully with hearty dishes such as matured sirloin, beef bourguignon, or slow-braised oxtail. While approachable in its youth, the structure and concentration will reward cellaring for 10 -15 years, with optimal drinking beginning around 5 - 8 years after the vintage.
year. In December, we had much-needed rain, which helped with vineyards’ water reserves before harvest. The bad news was that, in December and early January, there was high disease pressure in the vineyards. The harvest started 7 days earlier than 2022 at the Beyerskloof cellar, with Pinotage and Pinot Noir being the first grapes picked. February flew by with everything ripening at the same time, and by the end of the month, all the Pinotage was in the cellar.
The end of February and March brought a lot of rain, and it made it very difficult to decide when the optimum time to harvest our Merlot and Cab’s was. In the end, we had to make hard calls during the end of the harvest, but we are pleased with the quality of the late cultivars. This was by far the wettest and toughest harvest of my career in terms of picking the grapes at optimum ripeness. Even though it was one of the most challenging vintages, we still had an above-average yield and great wines in the cellar!
Winemakers: Travis Langley and Anri Truter
Winemaker : Anri Truter