Jacobsdal Cabernet Sauvignon, Stellenbosch

Description

Jacobsdal Cabernet Sauvignon is red wine from the Stellenbosch wine growing region in South Africa.

The Jacobsdal Estate is situated between Stellenbosch and Kuils River, on the slopes of the hills overlooking False Bay, which is less than 10 kilometres away. The estate lies on the extreme southwesterly edge of the Stellenbosch Wine of Origin Region. The Dumas family has been making wine on the estate for three generations and the present owner and winemaker is Cornelis Dumas assisted by his son Hannes. There is good drainage and water-retention at Jacobsdal which makes it possible to produce quality grapes – small berries with an intense concentration of flavour – under dryland conditions. None of the vines are irrigated. The vineyard rows lie in line with the direction of the prevailing summer wind, the south-easter, which not only cools down the vineyards but also keeps the vines healthy reducing crop-spraying to the minimum.

The grapes for the Jacobsdal Cabernet Sauvignon are harvested by hand. Fermentation is allowed to develop spontaneously from the natural yeast cells on the grape skins in open concrete tanks. This method followed by the Dumas family allows for subtler but more complex flavours where tannins are less evident. The cap was regularly punched down by hand for maximum extraction of colour, flavour and tannins. Skin contact lasted four to five days. Only the free-run juice was used with no pressed wine added. After spontaneous malolactic fermentation, the wine was racked from the lees and matured in small French oak barrels for 12 to 18 months.