Damascene Cabernet Sauvignon Stellenbosch 2021

Located in the heart of the Stellenbosch region, one of the historical cradles of South African wine, the Damascene estate sources its grapes from select plots at the foot of the Helderberg and Bottelary mountains. These slopes benefit from a maritime climate tempered by the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean and cool breezes from False Bay, promoting a slow and even ripening of the grapes. The soils, composed mainly of decomposed granite and schist, offer natural drainage and moderate water retention, allowing the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes to express their character with precision.

The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are hand-harvested from the Stellenbosch vineyards, then carefully destemmed and sorted before fermentation in tanks, conducted to preserve the purity of the fruit and the expression of the terroir. Extraction is controlled through gentle pump-overs to obtain fine tannins and a silky texture. The wine is then aged in oak barrels, a proportion of which are new, to refine the structure, enhance aromatic complexity, and subtly integrate the oak notes without masking the varietal character.

This wine reveals notes of ripe blackcurrant , black plum , and cherry , complemented by floral touches of violet and dried flowers , as well as spicy nuances of black pepper and clove . Woody accents of cedar , blond tobacco , and dark chocolate mingle with a subtle mineral structure. The palate is full-bodied, with fresh acidity, firm yet polished tannins, and a long, precise finish underpinned by a beautiful tension.

The first grape vines were planted in South Africa by Dutch settlers in the 1650s, although wine production did not really take off until the arrival of French Protestants in the 1680s with their skills and knowledge of viticulture. Stellenbosch is also a historic wine region, with the first vineyards being planted there in the 1690s. Today, South Africa is one of the most important wine producing countries in the Southern Hemisphere. With over 300 years of winemaking history, it is often described as a bridge between the Old and New Worlds. The majority of wines are produced using New World winemaking techniques, but they often share more in common stylistically with their Old World counterparts. Since the end of apartheid, South African wine has received international attention and acclaim for its wide variety of styles. South Africa's wine industry is spread across the lush and rugged landscape of the Western Cape. Here, the abundance of mountains, valleys and plateaus allows winemakers to produce a wide variety of styles. Vineyards are also found in the Orange River region of the Northern Cape, where the flat, arid landscape is dominated by the Kalahari Desert. Most of South Africa's wine regions have a Mediterranean climate, heavily influenced by the meeting of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The country's signature grape variety is Pinotage, an indigenous cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsault that is rarely found in quantity in other wine-producing countries. Shiraz (Syrah) is also widely planted, as are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (often combined in a Bordeaux blend). South African Chardonnay, Chenin and Sauvignon Blanc have become popular internationally in recent years.