2017 Spier Seaward Cabernet Sauvignon

Seaward is the latest series from the South African winery Spier. This lovely Cabernet Sauvignon is made from grapes carefully selected from a narrow strip up to 25km off the icy Atlantic coast and influenced by the warmer waters of False Bay. At the height of summer, the combination of cool sea breezes and cooler soils allows the vines to thrive in optimal conditions for gradual and longer ripening. The vines grow relatively disease free, requiring only minimal intervention to produce a harvest of excellent quality and flavor intensity. Because oceanside grapes have thicker skins and are generally smaller than their domestic counterparts, they tend to yield less fruit - resulting in nice wines. The soil mainly contains granite so that the grapes can absorb a lot of water.

The grapes are harvested exclusively by hand, with careful selection of ripeness in order to make a firm, ripe wine. The wine is aged for about 14 months in French and American oak. The Seaward Cabernet Sauvignon has aromas of black fruit (plum), vanilla, spices and beautiful wood tones on the nose. Taste: full, powerful, complex, firm with pleasant tannins. Full taste of ripe fruit, slightly spicy with notes of licorice, chocolate and tobacco. Ideal with grilled red meat, but also delicious with lamb cutlets or mature cheeses.

The roots of the house Spier go back to the early years of the colony on the Cape, in 1692. In that year the original farm in Stellenbosch was founded by the German settler Arnout Janz. He was also the one who realized that the soil was very suitable for viticulture, and planted the first vines. The first grapes were pressed and the old cellar, which was built in 1767, is one of the oldest wineries in the Cape. It is still the proud possession of the domain. Today, Spier is one of South Africa's most innovative wineries with a cellar that has been modernized and expanded in recent years to fulfill its grand ambitions. And in the same light we must see the expansion of the vineyard area, where the full control of a large team of experienced and talented winemakers is present under the leadership of the chief winemaker, Frans Smit. The wines of the Spier Estate in Stellenbosch are produced organically which means that no fertilizers, chemical pesticides and no pesticides such as herbicides are used.