Luddite Saboteur 2019

Saboteur Red 2019:

2019 is the fifth consecutive dry vintage with very little rainfall. Due to the heat and lack of rain, we picked slightly earlier to obtain better natural acidity. This vintage is also characterised by a large percentage of Grenache Noir giving the wine a lighter, fresher, fruitier feel. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache Noir were all fermented in small batches in open bins with quite a lot of whole bunch and stalks in the Grenache Noir. The larger batches of Mourvédre and Shiraz were fermented in stainless steel tanks with regular pump overs. All the components were pressed directly into barrel and aged separately. Some of the batches did malolactic fermentation in barrel which gives a fuller mouth feel and structure. This vintage was in barrel for 20 months with 20% new French Oak.

During the blending process, great care was taken to follow the house style of Saboteur, which is increasingly building up a huge following, ie. bold fruit, good spice and soft tannins. The blend this year is 60% Shiraz, 20% Mourvédre, 13% Grenache Noir and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon. A small portion of the Grenache Noir is from the 2020 vintage which lifts the freshness and red fruit spectrum of this wine.

Grapes were sourced from eight vineyard sites:

Bot River, Luddite young block Cabernet Sauvignon harvested on 19th February 2019

Bot River, Stuart Vineyards Shiraz harvested on 22nd February 2019

Walker Bay, Ou Meul Shiraz harvested on 22nd February 2019

Bot River, Gabriëlskloof Cabernet Sauvignon harvested on 1st March 2019

Bot River, Gabriëlskloof Shiraz harvested on 1st March 2019

Walker Bay, Ou Meul Cabernet Sauvignon harvested on 1st March 2019

Bot River, Luddite young block Mourvédre harvested on 13th March 2019

Bot River, Gabriëlskloof Mourvédre harvested on 13th March 2019

Bot River, Anysbos Grenache Noir harvested on 25th February 2019

Bot River, Anysbos Grenache Noir harvested on 24th February 2020

Average analysis of fruit at harvest

23.4° Balling, TA – 6.6 g/l, pH – 3.48

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Garnet & Rubi red. Nose: Spicy, raspberry, floral, fresh red cherries with a touch of strawberry. Palate: Juicy red fruit on entry with touch of aniseed. Spicy on back pallet with fresh, clean tannin finish. Lingering red fruit on the aftertaste.

Analysis of the wine

Alcohol: 14.66% 

TBC: 16 100 bottles of this vintage

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