Wanderer’s Heart 2024
Cape Red
Tasting Notes
In the middle of 2016 we commissioned a writer friend to compose a series of short children’s stories, and we used these stories as the inspiration for the names for our red wines. The wild, mediterranean landscape of the Cape is the inspiration for this wine. A handful of grape varieties at home in this landscape draw their particular character from the predominantly shale soils that these vineyards are grown on. Each brings its own voice to the wine and we are searching to create a wine that is harmonious, layered and generous.
The 2024 Wanderer’s Heart is our signature red and we feel it is a natural expression of the climate, soils and culture of the Cape, where a potpourri of cultural influences have created the space in which these wines are grown and nurtured. The wine is focused, with violets, damson fruit, rhubarb coulis, and mulberries on the nose. The tannins are fine-grained and integrated into a rich palate of black olive, bright red fruits and toasted wood spice.
Nuts & Bolts
Grenache noir – 37% Swartland (15 years old) - granite soils
Mourvèdre – 35% Swartland (22 years old) – granite soils
Syrah – 28% Bot River (17 years old) - shale soils
Residual sugar – 2.0 g/L
Total acidity – 6.0 g/L
pH 3.41; Total SO2 77ppm
About The Wine
Our travels in the Western Cape have brought us into contact with many fantastic grape growers, and we have long been developing our idea of a signature red blend, and seeking the vineyards that can deliver the kinds of wines we seek. Syrah is now being planted on incredible sites all over the Cape and we have steadily increased the amount of Syrah in the blend as it is just so damn exciting. High density plantings on shale lend incredible depth and perfume to the blend. Grenache has a great future in the Cape, where it is able to produce high quality wines in dryland conditions, and for its ability to express its origins. Mourvèdre produces wild and idiosyncratic wines that lend a certain generosity and pleasure to the blend.
We are privileged to be working with meticulous vine growers in the Cape and their attention to detail is what allows us to make these great wines. A big part of our harvest is getting our logistics right and making sure that all our vineyards are picked at optimal ripeness. Once our picking is done right, we are able to simplify things immensely in the winery. Picking is done early to retain the freshness and clarity of expression of the vineyard, while not sacrificing the pleasure that ripe fruit brings to the wine.
As with all our wines, the winemaking is extremely simple. On all of the parcels we put 100% of the crop into the open vat as whole bunches. During fermentation we punch the cap down a couple of times a day for as gentle an extraction as possible. Once we are happy with the structure in the wine, it is pressed off in an old basket press. The wines spend 30-40 days on skins to really round out their structure.
The wines go through malolactic fermentation and around 18 months maturation in large old oak barrels. We keep sulphur dioxide levels as low as possible during maturation and only make small adjustments before bottling.