World class Cabernet made as the old world intended.
Production
Reserve status is only endowed if the grapes and resulting wine measures up to exceptional standard. Hand selected grapes from older, lower yielding vines are used, from sites including Firgrove, Raithby and Jonkershoek. The soil type varies from decomposed granite with sandy/loamy duplex gravels in Raithby and Firgrove to rocky hutton soil mix with shale in Jonkershoek. Vineyards are a mere 5-15km from the ocean and range from 100 – 200m in altitude. The combination of these two sub-regions, each with its own micro-climate, creates ideal building blocks for this superior wine. Fermentation is done with a selected yeast strain under controlled temperatures. Manual plunging during this period ensures optimal colour extraction. After five days the tanks are closed and allowed to macerate for a further period, normally 10-14 days. Pressing follows and the wine is transferred to barrel for 24 months in 225L French oak barrels (76% new oak) for the secondary fermentation. On completion, a final quality check and analysis is performed, and the Reserve is then prepared for barrel ageing. Bottling is followed by hand labelling and further bottle maturation.
Le Riche Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Stellenbosch 2022 (6 bottles case)
Vivino ratings
Tasting notes
With a nose of the Cabernet family’s typical tomato leafiness over nuances of crushed rocks and warm sand. The palate is initially firm but relents to a wine of great purity and subtlety with notes of tomato, cocoa powder, hazelnut chocolate and star anise. Overall, a heady concoction somehow assembled into a seamless red of phenomenal quality.
Food match
Rich meat dishes such as fillet steak, paired with a rich and creamy peppercorn sauce. Bolder styled stews, for example boeuf bourguignon, oxtail or pot roast would also be well matched.
Info
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ABV
14.5%
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CASE/BOTTLE SIZE
6 x 75cl
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REGION/COUNTRY
STELLENBOSCH, SOUTH AFRICA
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GRAPE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 100%
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FEATURES
VEGETARIAN, VEGAN
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CLOSURE
CORK
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WINEMAKER
CHRISTO LE RICHE
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ALLERGEN INFO
CONTAINS SULPHITES AND NO OTHER ALLERGENS
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Meet the producer
Le Riche is a family run estate founded by Etienne Le Riche in 1996. Situated close to the historic town of Stellenbosch, the winery is perched on the slopes of the Heldeberg Mountain and surrounded by the majestic Hottentots Holland Mountain range.
If youre based in Stellenbosch and going to specialise in something, Cabernet is a great choice! Le Riche are known as ‘Cabernet Masters’ and rightly so. They select grapes from the best possible Stellenbosch terroirs to craft top quality Cabernets with superb cellaring potential. The estate was founded by Etienne Le Riche in 1996 and remains a family affair.
These wines are elegant and classy with fine grained tannins and subtle oak integration, and while not aiming to be Bordeaux replicas, they do have much in common with the balance and poise sometimes found in top Margaux. With most of their wines sold domestically, it’s a rare treat to find these wines on UK soils. Production is 8000×6 cases a year, with the Reserve range consisting of only 1000 cases. These wines are rare but worth sourcing.
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