Zevenwacht Cabernet Sauvignon 2015, perfect with Ina Paarman’s Springbok & Baby Onion Kebabs…

Wednesday, 3 July, 2019
Michael Olivier
One of the truly exciting things about the Zevenwacht Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 is that the wine is that the wine is the child of a vintage designated by many as the finest of the century thus far.

A child also of the worst drought in living memory, which, though broken, will continue to affect the vines for at least another two years. Zevenwacht Wine Estate has two vineyards in the Stellenbosch Appellation, one in the Bottelary Hills and the other in Banghoek. Zevenwacht is owned and managed by the Johnson Family.

The grapes for the Zevenwacht Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 vintage come from 2 vineyards on the-west south-west facing slopes, they were 10 years old at the time of vintage. The vines are trellised on a seven-wire hedge system and receive only supplementary drip irrigation to void stress during the late summer. Planted at an altitude between 100 and 150 metres above sea-level, that sea is in fact the cold Atlantic Ocean which presents itself on the northern shores of False Bay. Here, cooling sea breezes ameliorate the summer heat in the vineyards, keep the fruit cool and allow for a longer hang time for the bunches and ultimately for maximum flavour, colour and tannin development. The vines are trellised on a seven-wire hedge system and receive only supplementary drip irrigation.

Once harvested, the grapes were sorted on the Estate’s Pellenc sorting table, then destalked crushed and taken to ten ton open top fermenters. Four hourly punch downs took place for maximum extraction. The wine then macerated on the skins for two weeks. The wine was then taken to barrel where malolactic fermentation took place. It was then returned to 30% new, 50% 2nd fill and 20% 3rd fill French oak barrels, for 18 months before being prepared for bottling.

Pour
From a classic Bordeaux shaped bottle, closed with natural cork. The label is black with white, red and gold printing. The white foil over the cork has a regal gold ban at the bottom. In the glass, the wine a bloodplum red at the heart which pales out to ruby at the edges. The aromas are classic Cabernet, as are the flavours. A generous nose of Crème de Cassis, and blueberries. Dark chocolate and plums in undertow. The oak and its concomitant spice and vanilla is beautifully interwoven with tobacco leaf, firm tannins and a lovely long and gently waning aftertaste. A superb glass of Stellenbosch Cabernet. The wine has all the components which will assist cool cellaring and maturation over the next 8 years at least.

Pair
This king of wines is a great glass when served slightly chilled. It is an excellent main course wine which can follow on to a tranche of delicious Huguenot Cheese, some crisp biscuits and a piece of watermelon rind preserve. Ideally it would suit a traditional Sunday Roast lunch with all the trimmings. However sometimes in the middle of the week, you feel like a good glass after a bad day. The Zevenwacht Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 is just such a wine. With the hunting season upon us, Ina Paarman’s Springbok & Baby Onion Kebabs is just such a dish. Click HERE for her recipe.

Read more about Zevenwacht Wine Estate – CLICK HERE.