BLUE BATCH – THE MULE RUN
CABERNET FRANC
SMALL BATCH #2000 bottles – W.O. FRANSCHHOEK
(Sold per case of 6 bottles)

VINEYARDS

A small block, estate-grown, Cabernet Franc vines in deep granite rich soils, right at the back of the Franschhoek valley. The trick with Cab Franc is to make sure all the grapes are ripe in the same block, at the same time… how do we do that… “Take one for the team!” Green harvesting at veraison is key, to take off the “late bloomers” This is the same block we used for the 2017 harvest.

WINEMAKER NOTES

Small Batch Artisan Wines – So I broke one of my rules! I could not help myself, but produce another batch of the same wine, one vintage later. We had such a quick sell out in the 2017 vintage, that we made some more!

WINEMAKING

When you have the water in the soil… the acid does not drop near the end of phenolic ripeness and your leaves still look like a novice Leprechaun’s green coat, you know you are in for a real ripe treat of flavours. Harvested ripe.. I mean ripe! Cold soak for half a day at a low pH (that is the secret!), punch downs, and some “lekka” aerations at fermentation… the same procedure as last year miss Sophy. Aged this time in 60% new French Oak for 18 months… give or take.

TASTING VS DRINKING NOTE

This is what makes winemaking and blending, the coolest job ever! You do everything more or less the same and end up with a totally different wine! A super quaffer +14% wine… silky smooth and ripe tannins, with a razor-sharp feathered acidity, splitting this wine into a well balanced dark chocolate Lint chocolate ball. The best of both worlds.