Winery

The grapes all originate for the Elgin region, a high-lying basin surrounded by mountain ranges. Naturally the Malbec hails from Paul and Nicky’s farm, Wallovale Vineyards, whilst the other three grape varieties were bought in from Elgin grape producers with whom Paul has a direct involvement. A Cabernet Franc vineyard has been planted on Paul and Nicky’s farm but the first commercial harvest is only expected in 2020.

Each parcel of grapes was harvested at its own optimum ripeness and vinified separately at Eikendal Winery, Somerset West. Each wine was inoculated with Zymalore Xpure, a yeast recommended for wines with high aromatic purity, enhanced expression of black fruit notes and a great smoothness of mouthfeel. Post fermentation the wine was left for 14 days on the skins. Thereafter each wine was transferred to barrel where they completed Malolactic fermentation. The wines spent a minimum of 24 months in 225 lit French oak barriques prior to blending. The wine received a light filtration before bottling on 8th July 2021.

Specifications

Winery

The three individual blocks that comprise their Malbec plantings each have their own unique profile due to different row direction and training systems. Each block was harvested separately, each contributing it’s own unique building block. Left on the skins, post-fermentation before being transferred into 225 and 300-lit French oak barriques, where MLF took place. The wine spent approximately 18 months in wood with a 20% new wood component. 15% was matured in a concrete egg, contributing towards the fruit driven profile and adding yet another building block to the final compilation.

Accolade

• 90 points | 2022 Platters Guide (2018 Vintage)
• 90 points Silver | IWSC (2018 Vintage)
• 92 points Winemag.co.za (2018 Vintage)

Specifications

Redolent of roses and ripe-for-the-picking strawberries, the refreshing De Toren Délicate is an elegant red blend that combines red’s seductiveness with the undeniable drinkability of white.

Medium-bodied and immeasurably gentle, it offers up an abundance of juicy fruit and velvety, smooth tannins that lead to a sophisticated finish. Delicious on its own as an apéritif, it’s also the perfect consort to the lingering pleasures of Spanish tapas or a platter of the finest French charcuterie.

Tasting Notes

Specifications

Constantia Glen's Flagship Wine!

94 points Tim Atkin

'The proportions may vary from vintage to vintage, but this is always a blend of the five red Bordeaux varieties. Cabernet Sauvignon is just the dominant grape in 2019, with the remaining 75% made up of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Malbec. Structured, serious and concentrated, with plum, damson and blackcurrant flavours, scented 74% new wood and granular tannins. 2024-32.'

Tasting Notes 

A classic Constantia blend of the five archetypal Bordeaux varieties – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. A cool maritime climate and strict crop control results in perfectly ripened grapes that are hand-harvested, meticulously sorted and batch vinified.

Colour

Youthful in colour with a very dark ruby core unwinding into a bright and lively magenta rim. 

Nose

The first impression is one of dark fruit aromas of Morello cherries, ripe blackcurrant and juicy black plums underpinned by a fragrance of dried herbs. Savoury background notes of cocoa, cedar, and graphite demand further exploration. Floral aromas start emerging from the glass and the bouquet concludes with apparent notes of dried violet flowers, cassis, and wild fynbos.  

Palate

The palate is rich and concentrated with the dark fruit flavours that were evident on the nose, but the mid-palate displays fantastic balance and finesse. This exceptionally cool vintage has delivered a wine that is perhaps more elegant than its couple of predecessors, but it remains a compellingly structured wine with excellent freshness and depth. The delicious, fine-grain tannins provide mouth-coating texture and excellent length. The wine comes across as tightly wound in its youth with incredible ageing potential. The typical Constantia freshness provides for a long, delicious finish that will have you beckoning for another sip.  

Vintage

“2019 was a particularly cool vintage at Constantia Glen. A cool ripening season allows for gentle and slow ripening of the grapes, and this leads to greater complexity of flavour precursors in the grapes, as well as good acidity at the time of picking. The resulting wines are elegant and fresh with bright aromatics. The slow ripening also allowed for the slow accumulation of sugars, and excellent tannin development, so we could work with grapes that had achieved good phenolic ripeness. Our dryland vineyards showed remarkable buffering capacity and the 2019 vintage has delivered extremely elegant and refined red wines with great richness, texture, aromatic purity, and persistent, mouth-coating tannins. The 2019 harvest commenced with the first blocks of Merlot and Malbec on 19 and 20 March respectively. The red wine harvest then turned into quite a rushed one, due to some inclement weather that forced us to get our grapes in with a fair amount of haste toward the end of harvest. The final picking was our estate Petit Verdot vineyard on 9 April 2019, and this variety turned out beautifully, making up an impressive 23% of this year’s blend of Constantia Glen FIVE.  "

Specifications

‘Bloos’ is the Afrikaans word for blush, which describes the delicate pink hue of this wine.

Tasting Notes 

Nose

Fresh red fruits with creamy undertones and pleasant floral notes

Palate

Perfect balance between freshness and texture, effortless weight and length

Vinification

A wine designed for everyday enjoyment with a focus to be approachable and accessible. The wine is predominantly a blend of Malbec and Merlot to create a fruit-forward rosé aimed to please all palates. A small percentage of the wine ferments in contact with French oak to broaden the palate without compromising the refreshing sensation of this wine. Our aim is to create a wine that showcases fresh red fruit (strawberries) and floral notes, with a creamy finish.

On the palate this wine presents the perfect balance between freshness and texture, with effortless weight and length. This wine was not made with the intention to age, but rather to be enjoyed immediately.

History

You’ve probably heard of the quaint beach town of Hermanus, situated on South Africa’s famous Whale Coast. Between 1855 and 1902, it was called Hermanuspietersfontein. In 1902, the local postmaster decided to shorten the name of the town to make addressing letters to the locals easier.

150 years later, the wine farm Hermanuspietersfontein, or HPF for short, craft outstanding wines with a serious sense of place. Their grapes come from Sondagskloof, which competes with Elgin and the Ceres Plateau for South Africa’s coolest wine growing region.

‘Kleinboet’ translates to ‘Little Brother’ from Afrikaans. This alludes to the fact that this Bordeaux Blend is incredibly elegant, with only 12.5% alcohol, compared to other South African Bordeaux Blends.

Although quite the lad, he’s not too big for his boots

Larger than life, there’s nothing small about him! The agile charmer, living life to the full. Simple, down to earth. With energy and a second breath, he’s not the kind to be second guessed…

Tasting Notes  

Nose

Bright red and purple fruit such as raspberries and blueberries; savoury notes; dried herbs (oregano and rosemary).

Palate

Generous offering form entrance to finish; supple and full without over-saturating the palate with tannin; persistent with good length.

Vinification

A Bordeaux blend that is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon and comprises of all five ‘noble’ varietals (Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet franc and Malbec). The use of 2nd, 3rd and 4th fill oak over 24 months ensures a beautiful “marriage” between the different varietals. The wine showcases bright red and purple fruit such as raspberries and blueberries; savoury notes; dried herbs (oregano and rosemary). On the palate this wine presents a generous offering from entrance to finish.

History

You’ve probably heard of the quaint beach town of Hermanus, situated on South Africa’s famous Whale Coast. Between 1855 and 1902, it was called Hermanuspietersfontein. In 1902, the local postmaster decided to shorten the name of the town to make addressing letters to the locals easier.

150 years later, the wine farm Hermanuspietersfontein, or HPF for short, craft outstanding wines with a serious sense of place. Their grapes come from Sondagskloof, which competes with Elgin and the Ceres Plateau for South Africa’s coolest wine growing region.

Specifications

Tasting Notes 

Aromas of raspberry, cherry and a hint of eucalyptus. The palate is full, fresh and lively with a subtle and well-balanced tannin structure.

History

Dornier is a family owned winery situated in The Golden Triangle area of the upper Blaauwklippen Valley Stellenbosch. The primary focus at Dornier lies in the production of premium quality wines with minimal intervention which are expressive of the unique terroir of The Golden Triangle whilst showcasing the complexity and finesse of the noble grape varieties planted at Dornier. Reverence for tradition is salient at Dornier as is difference where it leads to improvement.

Dornier Wine Estate is located on 3 different farms in the Upper Blaauwklippen Valley namely Groenkloof, Heldemeer and Stellenrust (Homestead) the latter of which includes a historic Sir Herbert Baker designed homestead and one of the first wine cellars ever built in Stellenbosch in the late 1600s.

Dornier proudly boasts an A rating with IPW (Integrity and Sustainability) given its ongoing efforts incorporated and devotion towards sustainable farming practises with integrity. 

Dornier also holds an A Rating with WIETA - a pro-active world-class and sustainable ethical trade programme for the South African wine industry and aligned sectors. given its efforts incorporated and devotion towards facilitating fair working conditions and sustainable ethical trade within the wine industry and its aligned sectors.

Fermentation & Aging

All components of this blend were fermented separately in vineyard specific batches with pump-overs for colour and tannin extraction being performed five times daily. The wine was barrel matured for 12 months in French oak barrels and a small un-oaked component was used to provide a fresh and lively character.

Vintage Conditions

The vines are planted on our Groenkloof farm on the slopes of the Stellenbosch Mountain. The soil is composed of coffee coloured decomposed granite. The vines get full sun which allows for optimum development of rich berry characters in the grapes.

Accolades

• 4.5 John Platter Stars
• TOP 100 SA Wines
• Veritas Silver Outstanding

Specifications