Stark-Condé
The Press Club Cabernet Sauvignon
2023
$24.95
About this winery
Self-taught cellarmaster Jose Conde’s first attempt at winemaking was in 2000, and he chose to experiment with his favorite grape, Cabernet Sauvignon. As luck would have it, his father-in-law Hans Schroder farmed arguably the best Cabernet grapes in the region. Jonkershoek Valley is a pristine valley uniquely situated for farming organically. With its high elevation terrain, ample winter rainfalls, and the cleansing Southeaster breeze that blows through the valley, this area has perfect...
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Product notes
The basket press (or wine press) is a traditional tool used to press the grapes during the final stages of winemaking. This device has been used, fundamentally unchanged, for several hundred years. After the grapes are harvested, the bunches are de-stemmed and crushed. In red wine making, this combination of pulp and juice will continue to ferment in the tanks. Once the fermentation process has been completed, the juice is drained and the pulp is transferred to a press, where it is squeezed and the juice separated from the solids. A traditional basket press is a gentle way to extract these juices. Gentle extraction produces wines with softer tannins and less bitter phenolics. The fruit character remains bright, and it leads to aromatic wines with less need for clarification or filtering.
Production notes
Hand-harvested, destemmed, crushed and chilled. After cold maceration the must was inoculated with selected yeast. After malolactic fermentation in tank, the wine was matured for 16 months in French oak (16% new). This cellar-worthy Cabernet should mature for 10-15 years. Fined and filtered before bottling.
Tasting notes
Aromas of mint, cigar box and dark cherries are followed by cassis and red-currant fruit on the palate.