Tamarack Cabernet Franc 2015

Tamarack Cabernet Franc is made from 100 percent Cabernet Franc.

Glorius vintage with wonderful weather conditions for normal production of low tonnages equaling delicious, balanced and succulent fruit.
Elegant with spiced cherry, blackberry and boysenberry mingling pleasingly and lingering seductively with a hint of oak, smooth chocolate and mocha on the structured tannins and fine-grained finish.

Review:

"Sleekly layered, with precise cherry, lead pencil and dusty dill flavors that persist toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2028. 1,176 cases made. — TF"

- Wine Spectator (Web only 2019), 90 pts

Tamarack Cabernet Sauvignon is made from  91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot 

Crushed gently and dropped by gravity into 1.5 ton bins, cold soaked for 24 to 72 hours, then inoculated with a variety of yeasts, hand-punched and pressed directly to barrel where the wine finishes both primary and secondary fermentations. The individual lots of wine that compose the Cabernet Sauvignon are kept separate for at least one year before they are blended.

A warm summer led to an early start to harvest, followed by a stretch of lower than average temperatures in late September that slowed ripening so grapes hung longer without sugars skyrocketing, providing balance, more flavor development and concentration. A long but successful harvest!

Full bodied with black currant jam, honey glazed dates and black peppered seasoned T-bone steak aromas intertwined with piercing boysenberry, rosemary rack of lamb, balsamic, blue cheese, bacon wrapped figs and intriguing tannins extended out over an intricate and balanced finish.

Keermont Pondokrug Cabernet Franc is made from Cabernet Franc.

The Keermont Single Vineyard Series was created to high light the superb quality and individual character of the wines produced from certain vineyard parcels on the farm. These parcels have been registered as Single Vineyards with the South African Wine Industry Information & Systems NPC (SAWIS) and wines labelled as such may not contain wine made from any other vineyard. The production of each wine is therefore very limited. We do not bottle these wines every year.

Tasting notes: 

This wine has a pink purple hue. Typical herbal aromas are complimented by strawberries and red candy. The palate is intense with bright red fruit flavors complimented by hints of sherbet, red peppers and black currant. The tannin structure is tight and grippy and a strong central acid core gives the wine a long powerful dry finish. Drink 2018-2030.

High up on the west-facing slopes of the Stellenbosch Mountain, this is a 1.81 Hectares (4.5 acres) parcel of Cabernet Franc planted in 2006. At an elevation of 380 meters above sea level and surrounded by mountain "fynbos", this block is exposed to many natural elements resulting in very low yields. The soil on Pondokrug is red granitic loam with a high clay content which sustains the vines during the summer months. These factors allows Keermont to produce an intense wine with unique flavors and a solid tannin structure.

All grapes used in producing our wines are grown on Keermont Vineyards. Small parcels of grapes are specifically selected according to ripeness, harvested by hand and vinified separately. This process is carried out gently and naturally in open top fermenters using traditional methods only. This wine spent 20 months maturing in seasoned French oak barrels before being bottled by hand without filtration.

Review:

"Sourced from the top two terraces of the vineyard up near the reservoir, this single parcel Cabernet Franc reveals good typicity and impressive depth of plum and dark cherry fruit. Creamy, lush texture on a full bodied palate with fine firm tannins. Matured 20 months in used French oak. The name means hut (pondok) on the ridge (rug) in Afrikaans."- International Wine Review (January 2019), 93 pts

- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (August 2018), 91 pts

"The 2015 Keermont Cabernet Sauvignon comes from the Cottage Lane Vineyard, located at 300 meters above sea level. It was picked in small batches that underwent strict sorting and spent two to three weeks on the skins. It then matured for 22 months in 225-liter French oak barrels (10% to 15% new) before being bottled by hand without filtration. It has a tightly wound bouquet at first, presenting blackberry, bilberry, cedar and light damp undergrowth scents. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin and mint- and cedar-tinged black fruit on the entry, building toward a nicely structured, quite sappy finish. It doesn’t quite deliver the panache of its Syrah counterpart, but it is a fine Cabernet Sauvignon all the same. - Neal Martin"- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (August 2018), 91 pts

Eden de Lapeyronie Cotes de Francs 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc.

Attractive nose of cherry and raspberry. On the palate, blackberry and cassis fruit flavors dominate, with hints of vanilla and firm tannins.

Drink with steak, hamburgers, grilled chicken, or soft cheeses.

Review:

"Largely Cabernet Sauvignon (there’s 40% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc), the 2015 Eden de Lapeyronie Cotes de Francs is an incredibly promising 2015 that has a medium-bodied, concentrated, slightly angular and tannic profile that’s going to benefit from another year or two in bottle. With outstanding notes of dark fruits, some rocky minerality, and subtle background oak, it’s well worth seeking out and should have over a decade or longevity."
- Jeb Dunnuck (March 27th 2019), 90+ pts

Paradigm Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc

20 months in French oak (only about a third of that is new oak) and for 20 more months in bottle before release

Our winemaking "style" is solely determined by this place or terrior we call "Paradigm." Winemaking is agriculture when you own your vineyards and are able to farm them to promote the very best Earth will give you. All of our selections of wines are made from five varietals on the estate. Every wine is 100% farmed and grown by us.

Complexity in our wines supported by luscious fruit and acidity is our hallmark. Our efforts during harvest and barrel cellaring concentrate on maintaining the freshness from the first day we handpicked each vineyard block. Simple winemaking protocols are employed while crucial “timing” oriented winemaking decisions rule each day.

The 2015 vintage produced delicious concentrated wines in smaller quantity than normal. This black raspberry colored Cabernet has lovely open aromatics of black cherry, berry, and plum layered with a perfect balance of new and used French Oak.

Reviews:

"Owned and managed by the Harris family, Paradigm winery produced its first vintage in 1991 in Oakville with winemaker Heidi Barrett. A self-contained winery estate with 50 acres of vineyards, Paradigm maintains a hands-on approach to all winemaking and vineyard operations. The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon consists of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, and is aged in both new and used French oak for 20 months, then aged a further 20 months in bottle before release. The total production for this vintage was 5,544 bottles." Blind tasted by Dave Allen, Stephen Brook, Terry Kandylis (at Decanter Magazine's December 2019 Californian Cabernet 2015 Panel Tasting, London, 17 Sep 2019) - Decanter 95 Points 

Willowcroft Cabernet Franc is made from 75% Cabernet Franc, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Chambourcin and 4% Petit Verdot. This is a blend of clones from Bordeaux and the Loire Valley. 
This is planted on silty loam soils. 
Harvested from home Vineyards on Sept 23rd 2015 (brix 23.9). 
Malo-Lactic fermentation.
Fermented and aged for 12 months in a mix of French, Hungarian and American Oak barrels.
It was slightly filtered before bottling.