The Small Batch Collection wines are made in miniscule quantities and allow us to explore various winemaking techniques, grape varietals and vineyards. Sometimes it’s about pushing the winemaking boundaries a bit and sometimes it’s all about figuring out the best way to capture the pure essence of a specific vineyard. The lessons we learn when making these wines are applied to our general vineyard and winery strategies.
Cinsault was once the dominant red grape on Joostenberg. It’s a hardy, drought resistant variety and it did well before losing favour in the 80’s. Not a single Cinsault vine remains on Joostenberg so we had to work with a neighbour to get our hands on these grapes.
Vineyards
Made from a single, dry-farmed, bush-vine vineyard planted in sandy, decomposed granite soils.
Vinification
Grapes were hand-picked and partially de-stemmed (66%) and fermented in an open-topped tank. Maturation occurred in a single, old barrel. The wine was bottled after 10 months.