High Constantia Wines

Current Vintages
High Constantia Cabernet Franc 2006
High Constantia Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
High Constantia Malbec 2006
Petit Verdot 2006

Sebastiaan Wines

Current Vintages
High Constantia Sebastiaan 2006

Variety:

100% Petit Verdot – single vineyard

Bottling Date:

March 2008

Volume:

1000 x 750 ml

Analysis:

Tasting Notes:

The grapes were harvested by hand at the end of March 2006 at 25. balling and fermented in small open top stainless steel tanks between 25C and 26C for 11 days. Pumpovers and punch downs are done every four hours up to 10° balling to ensure optimum extraction of colour and tannins. The wine was pressed in a small 2 ton bag press to 65% and thereafter pumped into settling tanks. After four weeks it was racked into 1st, 2nd and 3rd fill 300 litre French Oak barrels where it later underwent malo-lactic fermentation. The wine was racked twice and left to mature in wood for a total of 24 months.

Description:

The "spice box" contribution this grape adds to wine is dense fruit, dark colour, powerful flavours, and heavy tannins, showing dark vibrant red purple colour with fragrant berry fruits. The palate is spicy, rich, soft and full with fine firm tannins on the finish and is an excellent example of this great variety.

Variety:

100% Cabernet Franc – single vineyard

Bottling Date:

July 2006

Volume:

8600 x 750 ml

Analysis:

Tasting Notes:

The grapes were harvested by hand on 10 April 2004 at 24.5° balling and fermented in small open top stainless steel tanks 26°C for 10 days. Pumpovers and punch downs are done every four hours up to 10° balling to ensure optimum extraction of colour and tannins. The wine was pressed in a small 2 ton bag press to 65.% and thereafter pumped into settling tanks. After four weeks it was racked into new and second fill 300 litre French Oak barrels where it underwent malo-lactic fermentation. The wine was racked twice and left to mature in wood for a total of 28 months.

Description:

Characteristic spicy nose, earthy, herbaceous with a slight hint of violets. This, along with the 2003 vintage, was one of the best vintages that we have had in many years. When I have ploughed the lands, the smells of the freshly ploughed and tilled soils are what I pick up on the nose of the wine. This bright coloured wine becomes the most elegant wine of all the Bordeaux varietals.

Variety:

100% Cabernet Sauvignon – single vineyard

Bottling Date:

March 2008

Volume:

8000 x 750 ml

Analysis:

Tasting Notes:

The grapes were harvested by hand end of March 2006 at 24.5° balling and fermented in small open top stainless steel tanks at 26°C for 7 days. Pumpovers and punch downs are done every four hours up to 10° balling to ensure optimum extraction of colour and tannins. The wine was pressed in a small 2 ton bag press to 65.% and thereafter pumped into settling tanks. After four weeks it was racked into new 300 liter French Oak barrels where it underwent malo-lactic fermentation. The wine was racked twice and left to mature in wood for a total of 22 months.

Description:

The 2006 was a superb vintage from the Constantia valley. Yet again outstanding varietal character with a soft minty nose and underlying tones of mocha. Great depth of fruit, blackberry flavoured personality is highly focused, well detailed and elegantly integrated with fine French Oak. A wine of gorgeous depth and concentration.

Variety:

45% Cabernet Franc / 35% Cabernet Sauvignon / 10% Merlot / 8% Petit Verdot / 2% Malbec

Bottling Date:

March 2008

Volume:

16000 x 750 ml

Analysis:

Tasting Notes:

Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were harvested by hand from a single vineyard, South East facing slope, during April 2006 at 24.4° balling.  Fermentation was done in small open stainless steel tanks between 20°C - 26°C for 8 days. Cabernet Franc grapes were also harvested by hand from a single vineyard on 17 March 2006 at 24° balling. Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot were all picked during March 2006 at 24° Fermentation was done in small open stainless steel tanks between 24°C - 28°C for 13 days.  Pumpovers for all cultivars were done every four hours up to 10° balling to ensure optimum extraction of colour and tannins.  The wine was pressed in a small 2 ton bag press between 60 – 65%, pumped into settling tanks and after two weeks racked into new and second fill French Oak barrels, where it underwent malo-lactic fermentation.  The wine was racked twice and left to mature in wood for a total of 22 months. All the above varietals were then finally tasted prior to bottling and only the very best barrels of the cultivars were selected and blended to create this exceptional wine.

Description:

This vintage of Sebastiaan has benefited considerably from the long, cool growing season. Sebastiaan offers a glorious nose of cassis and black cherry fruit, tobacco-leaf and mildly minty herbaceousness, shy black pepper, anise and cinnamon-clove spice, accented by subtle notes of warm earth and leather. Smooth and supple in the mouth with ripe, velvety tannins, the vibrant, well-integrated flavors focus on black fruits, green olive, tobacco leaf and vanillin oak. The French streak in this wine is a mile.

Variety:

100% Malbec – single vineyard

Bottling Date:

March 2008

Volume:

4800 x 750 ml

Analysis:

Tasting Notes:

The grapes were harvested by hand beginning 19 March 2006 at 25° balling and fermented in small open top stainless steel tanks between 25°C and 26°C for 11 days. Pumpovers and punch downs are done every four hours up to 10° balling to ensure optimum extraction of colour and tannins. The wine was pressed in a small 2 ton bag press to 65% and thereafter pumped into settling tanks. After four weeks it was racked into 2nd and 3rd fill 300 liter French Oak barrels where it later underwent malo-lactic fermentation. The wine was racked twice and left to mature in wood for a total of 24 months.

Description:

Malbec is typically a medium to full-bodied red wine. Ripe fruit flavors of plums and blackberry give it a jammy characteristic. The tannins are typically a bit tight and the earthy, wood-like appeal makes for a fairly rustic wine. This is a typical Malbec with its dark, almost black, plum colour, cassis and Christmas cake nose. Smooth palette and long finish.