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 2001, these unirrigated bush vines are rooted in rich Koffieklip and Oakleaf soils, producing an average yield of 3.5 tons per hectare.
HARVEST DATE
17 March 2021
WINEMAKING
Grapes used to create the Spice Route Mourvedre were hand harvested at 23.5 Balling. The grapes were destalked and lightly crushed into open concrete fermenters (kuipe). Manual punch downs were done regularly during fermentation. Fermentation lasted 7 days, after which the wine was pressed off the skins and transferred to seasoned French and American barrels. A small percentage of the wine was matured in qvervris, enhancing the mouthfeel and complexity of the wine.
WINEMAKER’S COMMENTS
“With a decent 2020 winter rainfall and very moderate temperatures in the summer of 2021, we started very late with the picking of this vineyard. The cool and slow ripening conditions made for the perfect balance between purity of fruit and acidity in our Spice Route Mourvedre. – Enjoy!” – Charl du Plessis
TASTING NOTE
A meaty and savoury aroma with tangy red fruit and blackberry flavours, accompanied by pronounced spice and herbal notes.
