Thelema The Abbey 2019

4.5 STARS - PLATTER'S WINE GUIDE 2023

The name Thelema comes from a tale written by 16th Century French writer Francois Rabelais, who writes about a beautiful Abbey, Thélème, where there is but one rule – ‘do what thou wilt’. This blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Petit Verdot pays homage to the spirit of the Abbey and to the author who gave us our name.

Food Pairing

Rich hearty stews, roasts and grilled meats.

Winemaker's Comments

This blend of Shiraz, Grenache & Petit Verdot has dark plum and white pepper aromas with an inviting toasted spice on the palate and an elegant acidity.

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Tasting Notes

Viticultural Practices

Varietal	Shiraz - Clone SH1A / Grenache - Clone GN 70N / Petit Verdot - Clone PR 400D
Root stock	101-14 and R99
Soil type	Hutton – decomposed granite
Age of vines	Planted 2003 to 2006
Plant density	3000, 1996 and 2022 vines per hectare respectively
Trellising	Vertical hedge
Pruning	2-bud spurs every 12cm
Yield	8.5 tons/ha (Shiraz), 11 tons/ha (Grenache), 13 tons/ha (PV)
Irrigation	Supplementary drip
Vintage	Cool weather conditions constituted smaller more concentrated berries, leading to wines with great natural acidity and flavour.
Picking date	15 March 2019 (Shiraz), 20 February 2019 (Grenache), 20 March 2019 (PV)
Grape sugar	24.2°B (Shiraz), 25.0°B (Grenache) 24.8 °B (PV)
Acidity	5.12 g/l (Shiraz), 6.19 (Grenache), 5.73 g/l (PV)
pH at harvest	3.6 (Shiraz), 3.33 (Grencahe), 3.57 (PV)

Winemaking Practices

Yeasts	Alchemy4
Fermentation temp	27 °C
Method	De-stalked, hand sorted, crushed, pumped into stainless steel fermentation tanks, cold soak for two days, and pumped over once 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	18 months in 2nd & 3rd fill 225 L French oak barrels

Wine Details

Residual Sugar	2.0 g/l
pH	3.62
Total acid	5.2 g/l
Alcohol	13.5 %
Blend	Shiraz 70 %, Grenache 15 % & Petit Verdot 15%

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The Current Range

Thelema Cap Classique 2017

92 POINTS - TIM ATKIN SOUTH AFRICA SPECIAL REPORT 2023