
Thelema Rabelais 2018
Rabelais is a blend of the best Bordeaux components from our Thelema range from the 2018 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.
All Vintages

Tasting Notes
Viticultural Practices
Varietal | Cabernet Sauvignon - CS 338C & CS 169A / Petit Verdot - Clone PV 219A |
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Root stock | 101-14 and R99 |
Soil type | Hutton – decomposed granite |
Age of vines | Planted 2002 and 2003 |
Plant density | 2000 and 2110 vines per hectare respectively |
Trellising | Vertical hedge |
Pruning | 2-bud spurs every 12cm |
Yield | 8.36 tons/ha (Cabernet), 11 tons/ha (PV) |
Irrigation | Supplementary drip |
Vintage | A warm, dry vintage with a late start, resulted in smaller tonnage but yielding balanced, well structured wines with lovely intensity. |
Picking date | 12 March 2018 (Cabernet Sauvignon), 13 March 2018 (PV) |
Grape sugar | 24.0-24.4 °B (Cabernet), 23.8 °B (PV) |
Acidity | 5.16 g/l (Cabernet), 7.4 g/l (PV) |
pH at harvest | 3.53 - 3.65 (Cabernet), 3.40 (PV) |
Winemaking Practices
Yeasts | Natural occurring yeasts |
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Fermentation temp | 27 °C |
Method | De-stalked, hand sorted, whole berries pumped into stainless steel fermentation tanks and pumped over twice a day for 7 days. After fermentation the wine is left on the skins for 12 hours 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 |
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pH | 3.46 |
Total acid | 5.9 g/l |
Alcohol | 13.32 % |
Blend | Cabernet Sauvignon 85 % and Petit Verdot 15 % |
Maturation | 2020 – 2035 |
The Current Range


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Thelema Rabelais 2020
3 pack box set
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View PackagingLooking for an older vintage? Please contact us for more information.