Description
Five centuries ago the ancient mariners braved uncharted seas to round the Cape of Good Hope in search of exotic spices. Their nerve and dash inspire the Spice Route philosophy. We have found our signature wine style in the rolling hills along the Cape’s West Coast, where unirrigated vines produce grapes with small thick skinned berries – ripe fruit that is dense, rich and full flavoured. A passionate dedication to exceptional quality and traditional hand crafting captures the essence of this fruit in the wines of the Spice Route.
IN THE VINEYARD:
Planted in 2006, these younger, unirrigated bush vines from Klein Amoskuil farm have started to show promising results, with the potential to produce complex wines. Even the antelope that roam wild on the farm have a particular preference for this vineyard, often nibbling on the low-hanging fruit!
HARVEST DATE:
03 March 2021
WINEMAKING:
The grapes were hand-picked and fermented in open concrete fermenters with regular manual punch-downs. The wine was gently pressed off the skins and transferred to old French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation, guaranteeing the integrity of its delicate fruit. The wine was further matured for 16 months in the same barrels.
WINEMAKER’S COMMENTS:
With a very moderate and cool 2021 vintage, we harvested the fruit about 14 days later than normal. These perfect conditions resulted in grapes with an abundance of fruit character. This amazing variety offers striking purity of fruit and has great potential in the Swartland. Cheers!” – Charl du Plessis –
TASTING NOTE:
Vibrant light red colour. Red berry fruit and subtle pepper harmonize with cardamom and iron-like spice. This elegantly Structured wine benefits from a certain lightness which does not hinder its complexity. Fine tannins and good acidity will help this wine evolve well over the next few years in bottle.
