Grangehurst, Nikela 2011

Description

Indulge in the flavours of Grandehurst’s Nikela 2011, a handcrafted red wine from South Africa.

GRAPE VARIETIES

40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Pinotage, 16% Shiraz & 9% Roobernet

ORIGIN

Selected from prime Helderberg and Simonsberg vineyards in Stellenbosch. The southerly summer sea-breezes that blow over the cool waters of False Bay contribute greatly to the quality of the grapes from these vineyards – especially those in the Helderberg.

NIKELA 2011 FERMENTATION

After destalking and crushing the grapes, the mash was fermented in open tanks for between 5 and 14 days on the skins. The cap of skins was punched down and mixed with the juice 6 to 8 times per day to ensure optimum extraction of colour, tannin and flavours. After completion of the alcoholic fermentation, the free-run wine was drawn off and the skins were gently pressed in basket presses. The press wine was blended with the free-run wine in stainless steel tanks before being transferred to small oak barrels. Malolactic fermentation occurred in tanks and barrels.

CLARIFICATION

This wine was clarified according to the natural settling and racking method, which does not involve the use of any fining agents, centrifuges or filters – a natural, unhurried method of clarifying wine.

BARREL MATURATION

The various component wines – Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage, Shiraz and Roobernet – were matured in 225 litre French oak for 34 months.

BOTTLING

Bottled at Grangehurst Wine Estate using a gentle gravity flow filling system. The wine flowed from the elevated bottling tanks through a cartridge filter to the hand filler and into the bottles. This was the only stage during the entire winemaking process that the wine was filtered.

NIKELA WINE ANALYSIS

Alcohol: 14.59 by volume (14.5% on label)
Residual Sugar: 2.4 g/l
Total Acidity: 6.0 g/l
pH: 3.44

COMMENTS

Nikela 2011 is a “Cape Blend” of Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage, Shiraz & Roobernet. The word “Nikela” (pronounced “Ni-ghê-la”) is a Nguni (Xhosa/Zulu) word meaning “to offer a gift of dedication, respect or a tribute to one’s ancestors” – this wine being a tribute to winemaker Jeremy Walker’s late parents, Eddie and Betty, who contributed greatly to the establishment of Grangehurst, which was named after their childhood homes – “The Grange” and “Hurst Close” – in England. “Grange” means “a country house with outbuildings” and “hurst” means “on a hill” – a perfect description of this property!

TASTING NOTES

Dark ruby/mulberry colour; red berries with some mint, cedar and mocha aromas & flavours. A full-bodied barrel matured red wine with smooth, ripe tannins. Recommended drinking up to 20 years from vintage. Enjoy this wine with fine cuisine such as yellow fin tuna ravioli, balsamic pan seared chicken livers, grilled kabeljou or slow-roasted lamb shanks.

Additional information

Will pair deliciously with chicken livers, pan seared in balsamic vinegar, a grilled firm white fish or slow-roasted lamb shanks.