Eikendal, the Swiss owned wine estate situated amidst some of South Africa’s top red wine producers on the slopes of the Helderberg, is raising the bar as a top flight Cabernet Sauvignon contender with its 2012 vintage winning a clutch of local and international accolades.In its unwavering quest for varietal excellence, Eikendal is making the most of Stellenbosch’s forté, with its Eikendal Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 styling amongst the Top 100 SA Wines for 2015. Earlier this year, this wine of real poise struck international gold in Italy at the prestigious 2015 Concours Mondial de Bruxelles and recently excelled with a Gold Medal and Regional Trophy for Best Bordeaux Varietals at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2015 in the UK - the world's largest and most influential wine competition.Continuing its winning streak back on home turf, Eikendal clinched a Gold Medal for its classic Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 and shined amongst the Top Ten Most Successful Cellars and Top Ten Dry Red Wines at the 2015 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show.Winemaker Nico Grobler describes his fifth vintage Eikendal Cabernet Sauvignon as ‘a serious red of elegant richness, great purity and focus, whilst reflecting the estate’s classic values’.“I have predicted more than once that the 2012 vintage would be a fantastic red wine vintage. A prolonged, cooler climate coupled with enough light intensity ensured the perfect conditions for slow ripening which imparted intense flavour, colour and complexity to the wine. The result is a heavyweight in graceful harmony, built up by numerous small complexities,” shares Nico.“Eikendal has come a long way since its fledging days in 1981. Today we embrace a new era of a more focused and structured wine lineage to ensure the best varietal recognition. Awards do not define your wines, the vineyards do and fortunately we are blessed with idyllic terroir,” adds Nico, who goes by the philosophy that all flavours are produced in the vineyards and that only minor fine-tuning is needed in the cellar.According to Nico, Eikendal’s best assets is its climate - almost a perfect blend between warm and cool - and sits on ‘good wicket’ when it comes to favourable terroir, on the slopes of the Helderberg, approximately 8 kilometres from False Bay.“We get enough light intensity to develop a desired taste profile with reduced green characters, but due to our proximity to the coast and the Helderberg Mountain we are exposed to wind and sea breezes, especially at night time. This has a great cooling effect which is perfect for berry, colour and structure development and helps to control growth, crop size and quality,” explains Nico.The Eikendal Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 is a result of Nico and his team’s approach in the vineyard to best reflect the Helderberg terroir, the specific vintage and the estate’s particular style which combines luscious fruit and generous texture without sacrificing freshness.This naturally fermented red, which spent 16 months in custom-made French oak barrels before the different clones and blocks were blended and bottled, has a regal, deep rich burgundy colour. The nose reveals upfront flavours of ripe prune and liquorice backed by lead pencil and earthy nuances.The fruit from the nose follows through onto the palate which is rich with lots of depth, infused with ripe strawberries and a hint of sweetness. The bold wine is perfectly balanced with the fruit well able to handle the oak and has the body and structure to age exceptionally well - up to 20 years and beyond.The Eikendal Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 is a superb meat partner. Try it with well-aged prime rib eye steak with truffle salted chips or Osso Buco alla Milanese. It also complements spicy Mediterranean cuisines and hits the sweet spot with decadent Malva pudding with spicy mandarin ice cream.The wine retails from R220 per bottle and is available directly from the Eikendal cellar or at selected fine wine outlets and restaurants countrywide. For more information or wine orders contact Eikendal at Tel: +27.218551422 or email: info@eikendal.co.za.