Tiger Horse Old Vine Cinsault

3430560009385

Delicious slightly chilled, this Cinsault's bright, earthy notes and acidity marries beautifully with Asian duck dishes, pork belly, stir-fried beef and indeed carpaccio of tuna, beef or game.

From gnarly 40 year old bush vines ? an elegant national treasure from dry grown coastal vineyards. Boutinot has championed this grape variety on it's own for many years before it's current fashionable status, nobody is more delighted than Boutinot that Cinsault is such a bright star in South Africa modern firmament. Crushed for flavor not color, this 40 year old unirrigated bush vine wine sucks only from the rocks underground. Bright, expressive, gently savory on the nose and the color of a freshly slapped arse. Along with it's blushing hue, the palate rewards with fresh pomegranate flavors and acidity, savory gamey notes and a bright, beating heart of cherry ripe fruit. Slightly chilled with pink duck, pink lamb or carpaccio of beef, this is a beautifully defined expression of South Africa's most achingly fashionable varietal.

Cinsault has bewilderingly been overlooked for so long in the Cape but is a grape variety we have proudly been championing for years ? so it's great that this voice of the Cape's cool Atlantic vineyards are finally finding favor with wine drinkers. The vines are mostly 65 year old bush vines from hidden corners of the Cape. No irrigation is used on the vineyards and very little crop control is needed due to the age of the vines naturally restricted yield. The climate is perfect for viticulture with the low rainfall in summer months, tempered by cool afternoon breezes and the cold winters allowing the vines to rest and build up reserves. All the grapes are picked by hand at optimal phenolic ripeness, followed by a fermentation using delestage in which the juice is oxygenated, which brings a lower concentration of tannins and a higher concentration of esters, key compounds that contribute fruitiness. The result is a wine, in which red fruit dominates and full of juiciness.