Welgegund Heritage Wines’ launches two new varietals, Cinsault 2017 and Grenache Noir 2017
The Vintage
“2017 proved to be an exceptional vintage, says winemaker, Friedrich Kühne. “Our single vineyard Cinsault and our Grenache Noir are normally destined for blending (although a Cinsault was produced in 2006, it was later discontinued), but when I saw the exceptional quality of these varietals in barrel, I just knew that I had to do single cultivar bottlings of these top niche varieties and show these wines to the world. The immense drought of the 2016/2017 season created smaller Cinsault and Grenache berries which brought lovely colour and intense concentration to the wines, with a wealth of fruit, richness, texture and depth of flavour. I wanted to showcase the ample fruit and aromas unique to Cinsault and Grenache Noir.”
Wine philosophy
At Welgegund we strive to craft wines of authenticity and distinction, paying careful attention to the vines and minimising our intervention in the cellar, which allows vineyard and terroir expression to create wines true to their cultivar and their provenance. This gentle style of winemaking encourages the natural extraction of aroma, colour and flavour. All our fruit is picked by hand into small crates, a labour of love when harvesting old bush vines.
Welgegund Heritage Wines Cinsault 2017
Single Vineyard Special Release
This wine is produced from 44-year old southwest-facing dryland bush vines planted in 1974, with an extremely low yield of 1.2 tons per hectare. 20% of the Cinsault was whole bunch fermented and 80% was de-stemmed. A large portion of the wine was aged unoaked, to retain fresh fruity aromas, with the balance aged for 14 months in 3rd and 4th-fill French oak.
Winemaker’s tasting notes: Clear bright, with fresh purple hues. The nose shows an array of fruit, with pure fresh berries, sour cherries, raspberries, cranberry with strawberry and a hint of spice on the nose. The palate is soft, juicy and consistent, showing liquorish, dark fruit with subtle savoury notes to the fore. The tannins are silky with a persistent clean finish. Our purest expression of Cinsault.
Serving suggestions: Serve slightly chilled and enjoy with a charcuterie board in summer or game fish such as seared tuna or sushi. The Cinsault also pairs fantastically with ostrich fillet, venison and other game dishes.
Limited release: Only 1768 individually numbered bottles have been produced.
Welgegund Heritage Wines Grenache Noir 2017
Special release
This wine is produced from high-altitude, west-facing, dryland bush vines planted in 2006. Half of the wine was aged unoaked to retain fresh fruity aromas and the balance was aged for 14 months in 3rd and 4th-fill French oak barrels.
Winemaker’s tasting notes: Bright, exuberant with light violet hues. The nose shows ample fruit, with freshly picked blackberries, cassis, raspberries and a slight floral perfume on the nose. The palate is soft, lean and refined, showing dark fruit, chocolate black forest cake with subtle hints of cloves. The tannins are powdery and well integrated tannins with a balanced seductive round finish.
Serving suggestions: Serve slightly chilled and enjoy with roasted wild mushrooms, cured or cold smoked red meat and marinated Mediterranean vegetables. This wine also pairs beautifully with dishes cooked with earthy spices such as paprika, cloves and cumin.
Limited release: in honour of the establishment of Welgegund, only 1777 individually numbered bottles have been produced.
Welgegund’s Certified Heritage Vineyards and the Old Vines Project
Welgegund’s old blocks of low-yielding, dryland bush vines form part of the new and exciting Old Vine Project. The Old Vine Project is an industry initiative, dedicated to recognizing the special character of the Cape’s wine heritage and to preserving these beautiful old vines. Vineyards planted than 35 years ago are being honoured with Certified Heritage Vineyards plaques, and wines made from these heritage vineyards will proudly bear the Old Vine Project Heritage Certification Seal. This is a world first and in recognition of the important work of the Old Vine Project, the Platter’s Wine Guide are including the Certified Heritage Wines icon in the 2019 edition.
What makes Old Vines wine special? Old vines have their own unique characters, developed by each individual season that they have experienced. The Old Vine Project is passionate about protecting these vines and sharing the special story of South Africa’s long winemaking history. Heritage vineyards produce distinctive wines that reflect more densely in the glass with greater palate weight, complexity, creaminess, structure and earthy flavour compounds rather than lighter aromas and fruity flavours. Old vines add intensity and a sense of place to the wines they produce.