This Petit Verdot has an intense black colour with a vibrant purple rim, The nose is deep and brooding, with black cherry on the nose and aromas of violets, printers’
ink, iodine, dried sage, and cassis. Tight and focused structure on the mid palate with a medium length finish. Although Petit Verdot can be somewhat overwhelming as a single cultivar wine, the Zorgvliet wine is made in a style that respects elegance and balance.
WINE OF ORIGIN - STELLENBOSCH
ANALYSIS
alc: 14.37%/ ph: 3.58/ TA: 5.4g/L / RS: 1.6g/L / VA: 0.60g/L
BLEND INFORAMTION
Petit Verdot: 89%; Cabernet Sauvignon 11%
HARVEST NOTES
The 2020 season started cool. At the end of October, wind, a cold snap and then a heat wave caused uneven set in some reds. A heat wave in November 2019, coupled with much needed rainfall, set the vines on a growth spurt that at times seemed tricky to manage. A coldish December-January was followed by typical Cape February heat waves that carried on until mid-March. Minimal rain fell during the harvest months. 2020 was a challenging harvest in the cellar due to simultaneous ripening of cultivars. Late ripening white vineyards and early reds overlapped more that in most other years and we had our hands full trying to get everything picked at optimal ripeness. Berries were small and some red varieties ripened somewhat unevenly. The crop was down by 5-10% depending on cultivar. Red skins released color and tannin easily and required careful extraction to prevent harshness. Overall, a challenging but good and very promising vintage.
VITICULTURE
The vineyards are in the Banghoek Valley, Stellenbosch. Elevation is 300-350m above sea level and is mostly southerly facing. This provides for moderate temperatures resulting in the late but slow ripening of the fruit. The soils are made up of leached, decomposed granite and sandstone. Gravel in the upper layers provides for good drainage in wet seasons and clay in the subsoil provides for moisture retention in dry ones. Vineyards are trained on a 7-wire hedge and cane pruned by hand. Average yield is 5-8tons/ha.
WINEMAKING NOTES
Grapes were harvested by hand and berry sorted into stainless steel fermenters.
Fermentation commenced spontaneously and was finished with a pure strain. Extraction was done with a combination of punch-down, rack-and-return and pump-over methods. Batches were gently pressed and immediately racked to small French oak barrels where they completed malolactic fermentation. The components were racked three times to enhance clarification and development. Blending took place after 14 months aging, after which the composed blend was aged in barrel for another 4 months. The wine was bottled after a total of 22 months. Barrel composition: 12% new - 225L French oak
AGING POTENTIAL
This wine should improve with aging over a period of 10 years or longer, if it is stored under optimum conditions.
PRODUCTION 2745 x 750ml
