DeWaal Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 listed in the Sommelier Selection 2015

Friday, 3 July, 2015
DeWaal Wine Estate
The antecedents of the de Waals of Uiterwyk arrived in Cape Town three hundred years ago this year. And certainly made their mark. Wale Street in Cape Town was originally called Waal Street after the family.

The current de Waals resident in the beautiful old Cape Dutch Manor house on the estate are Pieter and Janine who run the elegant tasting room with their Sales & Marketing Manager Helga Truter. A friendly welcoming place which serves a beautiful cheese platter - please reserve in advance.

While Pinotage is almost synonymous with the de Waals, they have the country’s oldest Pinotage Vineyard, planted in 1950; the estate also produces elegant whites and this sublime Cabernet Sauvignon.

The grapes for the DeWaal Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 come from a 25 year old vineyard on the Estate, yielding 9.5 tons per hectare and planted in gravel and loam on a warmer north facing slope. In undergoing elevation in the cellar, with both fermentation and cold maceration, the wine spends 18 months in 225 litre French Oak Barrels, half of which are new and the other half are second fill.

It looks like
Elegant Bordeaux bottle in the three lion DeWaal livery. In the glass it is a deep opaque near black ruby, which pales out to the edge to garnet.

It smells like
Classical Cabernet black and blue berries. Cassis and an undertow of well applied oak.

It tastes like
Again classical Cabernet, rich layers of black berry fruits and bloodplums. There is an undertow of scrunched fynbos and oak spice. In perfect balance with its ample fruit, oaking, acidity, freshness and a long and gently waning aftertaste.

See complete article on the Micheal Olivier Communications site...