‘Force Celeste’ Cinsault

Swartland - South Africa

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About

The ‘Mother Rock’ series of wines is all about showcasing the nuance and greatness of the Swartland through a very minimalist touch of Johan Meyer, AKA Stompie. Cinsault is the grape that in many ways embodies the ‘new’ Swartland, one that is highlighted in its best light with a gentle touch, picking early to preserve acidity and not covering up the elegance of the grape with oak. The grapes were sourced from the Grenaatfontein Vineyard on the Paardeberg mountain. It was one of the wettest winters they had seen in the last 15 years, with rains over 25 inches in some areas of the Swartland. This gave the vines a very good start, and then a dry summer meant the perfect season for organic farming. They did as little as 3-4 sulfur sprays the entire growing season. Still, phenolic ripeness and sugar levels didn’t advance at quite the same pace, so lots of time was spent tasting the grapes and choosing the right picking date. Stompie ended up picking about 2 weeks earlier than normal, starting early January into February.

The grapes are handpicked across two weeks and were wild yeast fermented entirely whole-cluster in concrete tanks with just gentle hand plunging for two weeks. The wine remained in concrete for twelve months of aging on the gross lees. After that point, the wine was blended and bottled without fining or filtration and just a very small addition of sulfur.

Stats

Grapes: 100% Cinsault
Vineyard: Granaat Fontein (Paardeberg)
Vine Age: 26-years-old
Soil Type: Decomposed granite
Viticulture: Practicing organic – dry-farmed
Fermentation: Native – concrete (100% whole-cluster)
Skin Contact: 14 days
Aging: 12 months on gross lees in concrete
Alcohol: 12%
pH: 3.36
Total Acidity: 6.6 g/L
Total SO2: 38 ppm
Total Production: 222 cases
UPC: 781718130196

Tasting Note

A brilliant, bright red with ripe tannins, depth, and drinkability from whole bunch fermentation. As always, there is a gentle rusticity that peeks through layers of red fruits. Very mineral and tightly packed.

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2024

‘Force Celeste’ Cinsault

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