Keermont Vineyards is a specialist wine estate set in a naturally-formed amphitheatre between the Helderberg and Stellenbosch Mountain ranges. Selecting the best fruit from several vineyard sites on the farm, we create a blend each year which is distinctive, unique, and portrays the character of our superb terroir. This blend is Keermont Amphitheatre. All grapes used in producing our wines are grown on Keermont Vineyards. The vineyards grow on deep red clay rich soil derived from sandstone and granite and are surrounded by indigenous mountain ‘fynbos’ vegetation. Aspects vary from North East through North to West facing between 250 and 400 meters above sea level. This variety of slopes gives us complexity in our vineyards resulting in complexity in our wines. Small batches of grapes are specifically selected according to ripeness, harvested by hand and vinified separately. This process is carried out gently and naturally in open top fermenters using traditional methods only. This wine spent 28 months maturing in seasoned French oak barriques (first, second, third fill) before being bottled by hand without filtration on 18 July 2019. 4600 bottles and 100 magnums were produced. The Keermont Amphitheatre 2017 lay in bottle in our cellar for 5 years before release to ensure integration and maturity.

TASTING NOTE

Bright ruby red in the glass, the Keermont Amphitheatre 2017 opens with savoury herbal notes and rich ripe fruit complimented by hints of baked pudding, vanilla, cloves and potpourri. The palate is structured and tight. Vibrant red fruit flavours of strawberries and cherries with typical herbal notes with hints if tanned leather and sandal wood. Layers of flavour and tannin linger into a long, balanced savoury finish. Drink 2024-2037.

VINTAGE REPORT

2017 was an excellent growing season on Keermont. Despite a drier than usual winter, we had strong growth in the vineyards during the springtime. This led to the formation of a good healthy crop which ripened evenly during the warm, dry summer. Harvest started fairly early but was put on hold after a heavy rainfall in late January. This rejuvenated the vines and allowed for extended ripening which definitely raised the general quality. We recorded one of our largest and healthiest crops yet and grapes came in with great analysis and concentration.

BLOCKS

BLOCK	VARIETY	PLANTED	YIELD	%
Steepside	Syrah	2005	4.2 ton/Ha	14%
High Road	Merlot	2005	6.7 ton/Ha	27%
Cottage Lane	Cab Sauv	2006	4.2 ton/Ha	22%
High Road	Cab Franc	2007	6.2 ton/Ha	27%
Steepside	Petit Verdot	2005	4.6 ton/Ha	5%
Homestead	Malbec	2007	4.4 ton/Ha	5%

ANALYSIS

Alc: 15.0 % pH: 3.59 TA: 5.8 g/L RS: 2.5 g/L TSO2: 54 mg/L VA: 0.80 g/L

ACCOLADES

AMPHITHEATRE 18: 4 ½ stars PLATTER GUIDE AMPHITHEATRE 18: 93 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) AMPHITHEATRE 17: 4 ½ stars PLATTER GUIDE AMPHITHEATRE 17: 91 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) AMPHITHEATRE 17: 91 pts NEAL MARTIN (VINOUS) AMPHITHEATRE 16: 91 WINE SPECTATOR AMPHITHEATRE 16: 4 ½ stars PLATTER GUIDE AMPHITHEATRE 16: 94 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) AMPHITHEATRE 16: 94 pts NEAL MARTIN (VINOUS) AMPHITHEATRE 15: 95 pts NEAL MARTIN (VINOUS) AMPHITHEATRE 15: 93 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) AMPHITHEATRE 15: 90 pts CHRISTIAN EEDES (Wine Magazine) AMPHITHEATRE 15: 4 ½ stars PLATTER GUIDE

Keermont Cabernet Sauvignon grows in our Cottage Lane vineyard on the mid-slopes of the Helderberg Mountain. This vineyard is situated on the crest of a ridge at 320m above sea level. It has aspects ranging from East through North to West and is very exposed, resulting in small, tight bunches and low yields. This has allowed us to make a relatively fine-grained Cabernet, while the clay soils translate to a wine with power, tension and fresh acidity. We blend in a couple of barrels of other varieties to add to the complexity of flavour and tannin structure. All grapes used in producing our wines are grown on Keermont Vineyards. Most of the vineyard parcels grow on deep red clay rich soil derived from sandstone and granite. The blocks are surrounded by indigenous fynbos vegetation. Our vineyards are planted on steep mid-slopes high up in the valley between the Stellenbosch and Helderberg Mountain ranges, between 250 and 400 meters above sea level. Small batches of grapes are specifically selected according to ripeness, harvested by hand and vinified separately. This process is carried out gently and naturally in open top fermenters using traditional methods only. This wine spent 21 months maturing in seasoned French oak barriques before being bottled by hand on 14 December 2022. The Keermont Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 was bottle aged in our cellar for 20 months before release to ensure integration and improved rinkability. 14 286 bottles and 100 magnums were produced.   TASTING NOTE Dark ruby red in colour, this vintage has a vibrant bouquet of ripe red berry fruit, cassis, dustiness, and a hint of fresh herbs. The palate is fine and structured. The tannins are firm, while the natural acidity keeps the ripe fruit in check. Savoury notes of cocoa and cloves add character to the bright red strawberry and mulberry flavours which linger into a long-focussed finish. Best drinking:2026-2036.   VINTAGE REPORT 2021 will be remembered as an excellent vintage at Keermont. Weather conditions were very favourable. It began with a wet winter and spring, followed by a very moderate growing season and a late cool and dry harvest. These factors, combined with a lot of hard work in the vineyards, led to the development of a healthy, evenly ripened crop. Although our yields per hectare were not particularly high, the quality was excellent. The grapes came in looking and tasting great with very good acidity and sugar levels. Picking and processing ran smoothly thanks to lessons learned in previous vintages, as well as a massive effort from the picking and winery teams. The Keermont winery crushed a total of 80 tons, all sourced from our own vineyards.  

BLOCKS

BLOCK	VARIETY	PLANTED	YIELD	%
Cottage Lane	Cabernet Sauvignon	2006	6.0 ton/Ha	95%
Pondok Rug 3	Cabernet Franc	2007	2.7 ton/Ha	5%

  ANALYSIS Alc: 14.5 % pH: 3.55 TA: 5.3g/L RS: 1.8 g/L TSO2: 60 mg/L VA: 0.78 g/L   ACCOLADES CAB 21: 4 ½ stars PLATTER’S GUIDE CAB 21: 93 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) CAB 21: 92 pts NEAL MARTIN (Vinous) CAB 20: 92 pts NEAL MARTIN (Vinous) CAB 20: 91 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) CAB 19: 91 pts WINE SPECTATOR CAB 19: 4 ½ stars PLATTER’S GUIDE CAB 19: 92 pts NEAL MARTIN (Vinous) CAB 18: 90 pts NEAL MARTIN (Vinous) CAB 18: 92 pts CHRISTIAN EEDES (Wine Magazine) CAB 18: 91 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) CAB 18: 4 ½ stars PLATTER’S GUIDE CAB 17: 90 pts NEAL MARTIN (Vinous) CAB 17: 91 pts CHRISTIAN EEDES (Wine Magazine) CAB 17: 93 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) CAB 16: 4 ½ stars PLATTER’S GUIDE CAB 16: 95 pts NEAL MARTIN (Vinous) CAB 16: 92 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) CAB 15: 93 pts WINE ENTHUSIAST CAB 15: 93 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) CAB 15: 4 stars PLATTER GUIDE CAB 15: 91 pts NEAL MARTIN CAB 14: 93 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) CAB 14: 91 pts NEAL MARTIN (Wine Advocate)