Luddite Saboteur 2020

Saboteur 2020 Red Blend

2020 vintage saw more rainfall and a cooler lead up to harvest, giving more natural acidity and elegant fruit flavours. The percentage of Grenache Noir has increased from the 2019 vintage, giving the wine a fresher, fruitier style. 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 12 months with 18% 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 61% Shiraz, 15% Grenache Noir, 13% Mourvédre and 11% Cabernet Sauvignon. A small portion of the Grenache Noir is from the 2021 vintage which lifts the freshness and red fruit spectrum of this wine.

Grapes were sourced from nine vineyard sites:

·       Bot River, Gabriëlskloof Shiraz harvested on 17th February 2020

·       Bot River, Stuart Vineyards Shiraz harvested on 20th February 2020

·       Bot River, Luddite young block Cabernet Sauvignon harvested on 25th February 2020

·       Walker Bay, Ou Meul Shiraz harvested on 26th February 2020

·       Walker Bay, Ou Meul Cabernet Sauvignon harvested on 27th February 2020

·       Bot River, Gabriëlskloof Cabernet Sauvignon harvested on 3rd March 2020

·       Bot River, Luddite young block Mourvédre harvested on 25th March 2020

·       Bot River, Gabriëlskloof Mourvédre harvested on 25th March 2020

·       Bot River, Anysbos Grenache Noir harvested on 19th March 2021

Average analysis of fruit at harvest

23.5° Balling, TA – 5.8 g/l, pH – 3.55

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Rubi red & purple.

Nose: Spice, cinnamon, tobacco, bright red fruits and hints of floral.

Palate: Juicy red fruits on entry. Dark fruit and spice on mid-palate. Long and dry finish leaving palate refreshed.

Analysis of the wine

Alcohol: 14.87% pH: 3.69 TA: 5.4 g/l RS: 2.2 g/l

19 500 bottles of this vintage were produced