Dornier Donatus Red 2011

Donatus 2011 has an intensely fruity nose, with aromas of blackcurrant, mulberry, blackberry and hints of sweet tobacco. The palate is rich and complex, with sweet fruits, and a tight balanced acidity which will allow a lengthy aging of the wine. The palate is wonderfully elegant, with a lengthy finish and a fine tannin structure.

This wine pairs excellently with lamb shanks, fillet of beef served rare and osso bucco. It also greatly compliments game dishes like Springbok carpaccio or kudu steaks.

variety : Cabernet Sauvignon [ 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Petit Verdot, 17% Malbec, 10% Cabernet Franc ]
winery : Dornier Wines
winemaker : JC Steyn
wine of origin : Stellenbosch
analysis : alc : 14.0 % vol  rs : 3.2 g/l  pH : 3.39  ta : 6.3 g/l  va : 0.56 g/l  
type : Red  style : Dry  body : Full   wooded
pack : Bottle  size : 750ml  closure : Cork  

ageing : For this exceptional blend we utilised only twopremium vineyards on our property both with outstanding quality of fruit yearafter year. As we recognised their potential early we were able to maximize ourwinemaking efforts in order to express the best characteristics of eachvariety. Cold soaking was followed by a gentle fermentation with pump oversperformed twice daily. The grapes remained on the skins for a further two weeksin order to gain complexity and overall tannin structure. Each batch then spent14 months in 40% New French oak barrels before careful blending.

in the vineyard : The season leading up to the 2011 harvest showed near perfect conditions with moderate temperatures and desirably, very little rain. We had cooler spells going into January and early February, which allowed for slower ripening before the hotter weather in March. The grapes showed excellent balance of acidity and fruit at lower sugar levels.

about the harvest: The grapes are picked by hand, and the berries are sorted in the cellar to ensure that only the best fruit is used for the wine.

in the cellar : The parcels of fruit ferment separately in open top fermenters, with gentle pump overs performed twice daily. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel, and the wine spends a further 18 months maturing in French oak, a third of which is new. The wine is blended after maturation, which allows us to select the finest components for the final wine.

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OTHER VINTAGES

Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Sauvignon