Thelema Rabelais 2014

Rabelais is a blend of the best Bordeaux components from our Thelema range from the 2014 vintage. The wine shows concentrated aromas of dark berries, hints of mocha and cedar wood on the nose. The palate has lovely sweet fruit notes, polished tannins and a long, refined finish.

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.

Winemaker's Comments

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.

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Tasting Notes

Viticultural Practices

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	6-7 tons/ha (Cabernet), 6 tons/ha (PV),
Irrigation	Supplementary drip
Vintage	Cool start to season delaying harvest by a week or so leading to an exceptional vintage with red wines of great purity, elegance and concentration.
Picking date	13th March (Cabernet Sauvignon), 20th March (PV)
Grape sugar	25.5 °B (Cabernet), 25.0 °B (PV)
Acidity	5.16 g/l (Cabernet), 7.0 g/l (PV)
pH at harvest	3.50 (Cabernet), 3.40 (PV)

Winemaking Practices

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 100% new 225 L French oak barrels

Wine Details

Residual Sugar	1.8 g/l
pH	3.71
Total acid	5.2 g/l
Alcohol	14.5 %
Blend	Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot
Maturation	2017 – 2032

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The Current Range

Thelema Cap Classique 2017

92 POINTS - TIM ATKIN SOUTH AFRICA SPECIAL REPORT 2023