Rietvallei Special Select Shiraz 2008

Rietvallei Special Select Shiraz is a full-bodied, complex wine with excellent fruit and wood integration. Lots of work in the vineyard and minimal interference in the cellar allows this wine to express its terroir to the fullest. A deep red, almost black colour. A spicy mix of freshly cracked black pepper with hints of coriander and cinnamon followed by robust red berry fruit are evident on the nose. On the palate the rounded red berry fruit gives a full mouth feel with silky tones of coriander and hints of coffee, mocha and bitter chocolate, ending with a noticeable toastiness and soft touch of vanilla flavours. Excellent fruit and wood integration with firm but juicy tannins that will allow this wine to age beautifully.

This wine will pair beautifully with rare roast game, barbequed steak or any other red meat dishes.Serve at room temperature (18ºC).

variety : Shiraz [ 97% Shiraz, 3% Viognier ]
winemaker : Kobus Burger
wine of origin : Breede River
analysis : alc : 13.7 % vol  rs : 4.0 g/l  pH : 3.57  ta : 5.9 g/l  va : 0.61 g/l  so2 : 138 mg/l  fso2 : 31 mg/l  
type : Red  style : Dry  body : Full  taste : Fragrant   wooded
pack : Bottle  closure : Cork  

in the vineyard : This Shiraz is made from a single vineyard established in 2005. The vines are planted in calcareous soil and are trellised and under micro irrigation.

The selection process for this special cuvée already started with the identification of the specific vineyards and working at it with special care from pruning right through to harvesting ensuring a low yield (approximately 5 tons per hectare) and premium quality.

about the harvest: The grapes were picked at optimum ripeness approximately 27° Balling (Brix).

in the cellar : After de-stemming and slight crushing the mash was taken to open fermentation tanks where traditional wine making methods are still implemented. During fermentation the temperature was regulated between 25-28ºC and the cap regularly wetted by the traditional method of pushing the skins down into the must manually every two hours. This together with pumping-over of the must onto the skins allows the colour and flavour to be extracted very effectively. It took five days to ferment dry and was then left on the skins for another day before racking and pressing. After malolactic fermentation started the wine was transferred to new 300 litre French oak barrels where it was left to mature for eighteen months. 3% Viognier of the 2010 vintage was blended in just before bottling.

Packaging details
Bottle volume: 750ml
Case size: 6 x 750ml
Pallet size: 78 x 6 x 750ml
Case weight: 9.14 kg
Closure: Natural Cork
EAN 750ml Bottle Barcode: 6009673830765
UPC 750ml Bottle Barcode (USA only): 89673300060-04
EAN 6x750ml Case Barcode: 6009673830772
UPC 6x750ml Case Barcode (USA only): 89673300061-1

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