Thelema Rabelais 2012
Rabelais is a blend of the best Bordeaux components within our Thelema range from the 2012 vintage. Concentrated aromas of dark berries and cedar wood on the nose are complemented by lovely sweet fruit and polished tannins on the palate.
Maturation
The carefully selected components of this wine lend themselves perfectly to long term cellaring, 10 – 15 years.
Food Pairing
This complex and full-bodied wine complements beef and game dishes.
Tasting Notes
| Varietal | Cabernet Sauvignon - CS 338C / Petit Verdot - Clone PV 219A |
|---|---|
| Root stock | 101-14 and R99 |
| Soil type | Hutton – decomposed granite |
| Age of vines | Planted 2002/2003 & 1988 |
| Plant density | 2000 and 2110 vines per hectare respectively |
| Trellising | Vertical hedge |
| Pruning | 2-bud spurs every 12cm |
| Yield | 5-9 tons/ha (Cabernet), 8 tons/ha (PV), |
| Irrigation | Supplementary drip |
| Vintage | Dry season with cool weather during the ripening period resulting in ideal conditions for production of elegant, well balanced wines. |
| Picking date | 26-28th March (Cabernet Sauvignon), 12th April (PV) |
| Grape sugar | 24.5 °B (Cabernet), 24.85 °B (PV) |
| Acidity | 5.6 g/l (Cabernet), 6.72 g/l (PV) |
| pH at harvest | 3.55 (Cabernet), 3.51 (PV) |
| Yeasts | Natural occurring yeasts |
|---|---|
| Fermentation temp | 27 °C |
| Method | De-stalked, hand sorted, crushed, pumped into stainless steel fermentation tanks, cold soak for two days, and pumped over twice a day for 5 days. After fermentation the wine is left on the skins for 2 days before pressing, once pressed wine is racked to barrel for malolactic fermentation. |
| Wood Maturation | 20 months in 80% new 225 L French oak barrels |
| Residual Sugar | 1.9 g/l |
|---|---|
| pH | 3.72 |
| Total acid | 5.6 g/l |
| Alcohol | 13.5 % |
| Blend | Cabernet Sauvignon (80%), Petit Verdot (20%) |
| Maturation | 2016 – 2030 |
During our annual vintage review individual barrels are identified and earmarked for the Rabelais blend. Concentrated aromas of dark berries and cedar wood on the nose are complemented by lovely sweet fruit and polished tannins on the palate. The wine finishes long and firm and will reward cellaring.