Thelema Rabelais 2018

96 points – Greg Sherwood MW

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.

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Tasting Notes

Viticultural Practices

Varietal	Cabernet Sauvignon - CS 338C & CS 169A / Petit Verdot - Clone PV 219A
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
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
pH	3.46
Total acid	5.9 g/l
Alcohol	13.32 %
Blend	Cabernet Sauvignon 85 % and Petit Verdot 15 %
Maturation	2020 – 2035

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The Current Range

Thelema Cap Classique 2017

92 POINTS - TIM ATKIN SOUTH AFRICA SPECIAL REPORT 2023