This wine is part of a line that Craig and Carla started in 2015. They wanted to work with vineyards that deliver wines that can be drunk young yet still over deliver in quality. The 2024 vintage was preceded by one of the wettest winters on recent record. A total of 25 inches fell on Bandits Kloof Farm; however, there was virtually no rain from October 2023 to March 2024. The concern was that acidity levels would be very low and pH levels high. This turned out not to be the case, which Craig attributes to a few factors—the most important being the high moisture content in the soils from the previous two winters, and the hard work put into the vineyards to retain that moisture. This vintage marks a new chapter for the look and feel of this line, with a new label image that depicts a photo from their farm, Bandits Kloof, which was the first one they planted on their property. While the vines mature, grapes will continue to be sourced from Craig and Carla’s amazing vineyard partners throughout the Swartland, this one being from a bush vine vineyard planted in 1961 on sandstone soils in the foothills of the Piketberg Mountain.
The grapes were hand harvested and whole bunch pressed before fermenting spontaneously in an old 3000L French foudre and stainless steel tanks. The wine underwent malo and aged in the same vessels, and then it was blended in tank and bottled with just a dash of sulfur and a gentle filtering. No fining.
