Welgegund Heritage Wines has launched limited releases of a trio of distinctively packaged, single varietal wines from low-yielding, dryland vineyards.
Welgegund Heritage Wines’ Old Vine Cinsault 2019
A clear, bright wine with purple hues. The nose shows aromas of black currant, sour cherry coulis, Black Forest cake with a hint of pine needles, black truffle and lavender. The palate is soft and elegant, displaying flavours of black cherry compote, red berries, cloves and a lingering mustardy pepperiness gives a long finish. The tannins are soft with a well integrated fresh acidity.
Ideal with beef fillet, game with cranberry sauce, seared tuna and mushroom risotto. Delicious with a raspberry crème brûlée. Serve chilled.
Limited release: Only 2230 individually numbered bottles have been produced.
Awarded a Gold Medal at the 2020 Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards.
Welgegund Heritage Wines’ Grenache Noir 2019
A bright, exuberant wine with light violet hues. The nose shows an abundance of fresh cranberries, sour cherries and raspberries with hints of floral and fennel notes. The palate is soft and refined, revealing sour cherries, salty dark chocolate, game biltong and subtle hints of tobacco leaves, fresh, green pepper and cinnamon. The tannins are smooth and well integrated, giving a beautifully rounded and lingering finish.
Enjoy with a charcuterie board, salmon, game fish carpaccio or a smoked mussel pot. Pairs beautifully with a salty dark chocolate fondant and berry coulis. Serve a touch cooler than other red wines.
Limited release: Only 2620 individually numbered bottles have been produced.
Received a Top Ten award at the 2020 Prescient Minority Report (Niche Red Varietals) convened by Winemag.co.za.
Welgegund Heritage Wines’ Old Vine, single vineyard Chenin Blanc 2019
A lightly wooded wine, clear medium lemon in colour. The nose shows beautiful layers of candied citrus, lime and lemon, ripe pear, quince, fresh peach and honeysuckle. It has a soft and elegant palate with flavours of star fruit, honeydew melons and lime that finishes with a salty minerality and a touch of nuttiness.
Perfectly compliments roast duck confit with orange sauce. Also delicious with crayfish, langoustines, sushi and line fish carpaccio. A fine partner to gnocchi with green peas or almonds. Wonderful paired with a citrus tart or nutty nougat.
Limited release: Only 1801 individually numbered bottles have been produced.
Awarded a Gold Medal at the 2020 Veritas Awards.
“At Welgegund Heritage Wines we only bottle our wines in great years. ‘Well-bestowed’ takes on a new meaning at Welgegund when we are blessed with excellent vintages, when our climate and terroir come together perfectly to produce exceptional wines. 2019 has been another exemplary vintage, one of the best in many years. As we farm dryland, soil moisture contributes a lot to quality. Between October and January preceding the 2019 vintage we only received 65mm of rain which resulted in extremely low yields of small berries bringing intense concentration to the wines, with a wealth of fruit, richness, texture and depth of flavour. I believe our 2019 wines exceed our 2017 wines in quality, being more linear, showcasing the cultivars in their purest form, with a broad array of fruit aromas present. The small 2019 volumes allowed for a more traditional artisanal approach to winemaking which has resulted in increased quality. Our 2019 reds were whole-bunch fermented (some in open 500L barrels), making early wood integration possible, also adding elegance, textured smoothness and enhanced fruit aromas and flavours to the wine. We worked with the grape stalks to add extra dimensions to the wines like freshness, spice, and soft powdery tannins. Our smaller volumes allowed for grape stomping of some batches of our Cinsault, Shiraz and Grenache, a gentle process that keeps the berries intact. Our new lightly toasted bigger 500L barrels allowed Welgegund’s unique terroir and the quality of our fruit to shine through.” Friedrich Kuhne, Winemaker