Product Description
Somerset West, South Africa
Varieties
Cabernet Sauvignon – 85%
Petit Verdot – 5%
Merlot – 5%
Cabernet Franc – 5%
The Vineyard
The vineyard used for the production of the V is Stone Pine IV. This vineyard consists of two adjacent units on the west to northwest facing inland slopes of Schaapenberg. It is relatively sheltered from the prevailing breezes coming off False Bay and therefore enjoys a slightly warmer but still predominantly maritime climate. The two units are planted on Hutton and Glenrosa soils and are both well drained and slightly limiting on vigour, but still offer a good buffer capacity supporting the vines in adverse climatic conditions. This combination of soil, climate and site ensures full ripening of the fruit without excessively high sugar levels.
Block size: 2.8 ha
Row Direction: NNW-SSE
Elevation: 160 -205 m above sea level
Aspect: West to Northwest
Mean ripening temperature: 21º-22º C
Distance from ocean: 8 Km
Ripening Sunshine: 12 hours per day
Age of soil: 40-50 million years
The Harvest
The grapes were hand-picked.
The Cellar
The grapes were fermented in closed tanks at temperatures of 25-28C. The young wine received a post fermentation maceration of 21 days, followed by malolactic fermentation in stainless steel. On completion of the malolactic fermentation the wine was racked into 100% new French oak. The V was matured in oak for 18 months, followed by 36 months in bottle. The wine was bottled on 30 October
Alc 14.03%
RS 3.1 g/l
TA 5.3 g/l
pH 3.75
Aging Potential
The wine can be enjoyed on release but will most definitely improve over the next 20 years.
Awards
VERGELEGEN V 2015
Atkin – 96
VERGELEGEN V 2014
Atkin – 95
Platter – ’93 – 4½ stars
VERGELEGEN V 2013
Atkin – 95
Martin – 93
Platter – ’94 – 4½ stars
VERGELEGEN V 2012
Tanzer – 92+
Atkin – 95
Martin – 92
Platter – ’90 – 4½ stars
VERGELEGEN V 2011
Tanzer – 93
Atkin – 93
Martin – 91
