Boschendal 1685 Shiraz / Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Deep garnet in colour, this bold wine is a true South African Shiraz Cabernet blend and has luxurious fruit with aromas of cassis, pepper spice, liquorice and sage. It is full bodied, elegant and complex, with well-integrated wood and soft powdery tannins on the palate.

It is an excellent complement to roast lamb, osso bucco and other grilled meats.

variety : Shiraz [ 60% Shiraz, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon ]
winemaker : JC Bekker
wine of origin : Coastal
analysis : alc : 14.5 % vol  rs : 5.7 g/l  pH : 3.56  ta : 5.68 g/l  fso2 : 37 mg/l  
type : Red   wooded
pack : Bottle  closure : Cork  

ageing : With its excellent maturation potential, it will reward cellaring.

in the vineyard : 60% Shiraz from two well established vineyards, planted on granitic soils with a cool Easterly aspect. 40% Cabernet Sauvignon from vineyards in the cool Faure region and Boschendal’s well drained stony soils. Average yield was 7 tons per hectare.

Spur pruning began in mid-July, followed by shoot thinning in mid-October, which left an average of two to three shoots per spur. This exercise was repeated in early December, when excess shoots were removed. Careful tipping of the shoots commenced at the end of January to ensure concentration of nutrients in the berries. Small, uneven bunches were removed two weeks prior to harvesting.

about the harvest: 2005 was a great vintage for red wines with warm days and cool nights ensuring perfect ripening conditions. Bunches were hand-picked and all leaves removed before crushing. Grapes were transported to the cellar in small bins to maintain the integrity of the fruit.

in the cellar : 

The must took an average of seven days to ferment to full dryness at around 28°C before being pressed.50% of the wine underwent malolactic fermentation in oak hogsheads, the balance in Stainless Steel tanks. Only about 20% of the wine was matured in new 300 litre hogsheads with the majority being matured in 2nd and 3rd fill hogsheads. Total maturation time was 16 months. The wine was gently filtered before being bottling.

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