The wine has a crimson color with a dark core. Lifted fruit aromas of blackberry, crème de cassis, and violets fill the glass. On the palate, it offers a beautiful purity of fruit, with fresh dark and red berries, a touch of milk chocolate, and oak toast. The fine, elegant tannins combine seamlessly with the fresh acidity, making it a delicious wine with a concentrated fruit core.
The grapes, sourced from three Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards, were picked between March 4th and March 25th, 2020. Careful vineyard sorting ensured that only the highest quality grapes reached the cellar. After a gentle destemming, the berries were hand-sorted before being pumped into the fermentation tank. The grape must underwent a two-day cold soak before being inoculated with a carefully selected yeast strain. During fermentation, pump-overs were carried out 2 to 4 times daily, adjusted based on the fermentation rate and stage. The wine spent 9 to 17 days on its skins before undergoing a gentle pressing. It was then racked into barrels for malolactic fermentation and aging, with a total of three rackings during the aging process. The wine was aged for 14 months in French oak barrels: 20% first-fill, 20% second-fill, 40% third-fill, 20% older oak, followed by an extra 4 months in older oak, totaling 18 months.
Simonsig Estate, named after its dramatic views of the Simonsberg Mountain, is ideally situated in Stellenbosch, South Africa's premier wine region, 45 km east of Cape Town.
