Dragon Tree will always be a work in progress to attain that Holy Grail, the Cape Red. There is no formula for this wine – we don’t really believe in formulas. Climate is variable and our winemaking is all about truly representing vintage differences. What does remain the same are the main varieties we use – Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinotage.

Wherever this wine takes us, it will be draped in South African colours. The unmistakable Pinotage aromas and flavours are only a small portion of its specific home character. We focus a lot on creating a South African-specific tannin feel by using an old Cape selection of Cab and picking the little beauties when they are completely and utterly ripe.

49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Pinotage, 10% Cabernet Franc, 9.5% Merlot, 6% Shiraz, 4.5% Petit Verdot

Deep Burgundy colour with lively purple edges. Intense concentrated aromas of wild blueberry and ripe cherry supported by a Smokey and lovely spicy undertones. On the palate the wine is ripe and generous with a core of black berry, preserved plum and youngberry. These fruit characteristics are supported by subtle toasty oak, hints of white truffle, dark chocolate and thyme. A pure expression of this single vineyard Pinotage is a 1925 South African crossing of what is officially recorded as Pinot Noir and Cinsault. The relatively young block of Pinotage used for Writer’s Block, is situated in the low-lying, gently sloping foothills of the Bottelary Range, between Stellenbosch and the Atlantic Ocean. This is a famed red wine area, home to many of South Africa’s finest Pinotage vineyards. Usually we get a kick out of making wines from vineyards situated where traditionally people think they shouldn’t be. But we have no argument with the reputation of the Bottelary climate and low-vigour soil characteristics.

We hand-pick the concentrated bunches of this South West facing block over a few days, rather than weeks, because of the relative uniformity of the soil. After caring for the vines and keeping the fruit healthy through ripening, our major challenge is protecting against bird attacks, because we push the fruit to hang way past when other Pinotage in the area is picked. The small, black berries taste so delicious we often eat them like table grapes. We press them softly and ferment them wild

Tasting Description

Deep purple colour. On the nose summer fruits, cassis, fennel and the faintest hint of basil, all wrapped up in serious, warm toasty oak. The palate is all about chunky, chewy, magically integrated tannin. This rewarding mouth-feel is complemented by concentrated flavours of youngberry, wild mint and blueberry. A block-buster cabernet.

2004

Western Cape – Elim 68%, Voor-Paardeberg 16%, Robertson 11%, Coastal Region 5%

Flagstone Winery

Bruce Jack

Cabernet Sauvignon 95%, Merlot 5%

Rack of lamb and pan-wilted garden fresh spinach.

Our Free Run Sauvignon Blanc is made from the juice that runs freely from the press, not the hard pressings. This technique enhances the elegant, balanced character that is inherently found in the grapes that grow at the cool southern tip of Africa, near a village called Elim.

330 Million years ago the coastal shelf belonged to Antarctica but remained hinged to Africa when the supercontinent, Gondwana, split up. So these grapes are the only ones in the world growing on Antarctic soil – packed with minerals

 

 

Dark Horse Shiraz

Shiraz grows like it wants to fly away. And the cautious farmer

will mutter that nothing good will come from such a wild thing.

But find the soil and climate to balance this effervescent nature

And you have the chance of making something beautiful.

 

The Dark Horse is our touchstone, our mantra, our moving

target, our other name, our dreams reflected. Enjoy!

ABV 15%

Vinification:

Grapes were hand picked from mid February until mid March at between 25.2 – 26.1ºB.

Grapes were stored in our cold room overnight and crushed after which all small parts of stems were removed by hand on a sorting table. In some lots, 50 % were left as whole berries.

Lots were split & fermented with different yeast strains (Maurivin B & BDX).

Cold maceration on the skins for 2 weeks at 6 – 10ºC, with one cold soak punch down per day.

Fermentation takes place in the open top fermenters with punch downs every 4 hours, 24 hours of the day, at 25 – 30ºC.

Pressing & barrelling down is done without the use of pumps – only gravity flow.

Wine was matured for 13 - 14 months in 2/3 new American Oak barrels and the rest older French- & American Oak. Barrels get stirred once a month to increase lees contact, before the first racking.

Each individual barrel gets tasted a minimum of three times during the maturation period in order to select the premium ones for Dark Horse.

 

The wine has a dark, rich plummy colour going over to a lively ruby red rim. This is a stunning Shiraz, complimented by the 80% American Oak that was used. The nose is a complex combination of white pepper, cigar box, mint and a concentration of dark fruit supported by subtle spicy undertones.

The complexity on the nose flows over to the pallet. The wine is big and round on entry with smooth and silky tannins that show well even though the wine is still young. Nice fruit on the back pallet combined with a well-balanced acidity is responsible for a lingering finish and rounds off a perfectly balanced wine.

    

Tasting notes

The wine has a dark, rich plummy colour going over to purple rim. The nose is filled with ripe blackcurrants and mulberry, supported by subtle spicy undertones of cinnamon and cloves.

The complexity on the nose flows over to the pallet. The wine is big and round on entry with smooth and silky tannins that show well even though the wine is still young. Flavours of ripe mulberry and rich dark chocolate lingers on the palate together with flavours of sweet spice and toasted oak.

Food Pairing suggestion

Braised lamb shank served with parsnip mash, sweet baby onions and a red wine jus.