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% |
-
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.
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) -
Pondokrug - a ridge (rug) deriving its name from a shepherds hut (Pondok). High up on the West facing slopes of the Stellenbosch Mountain, this is a 1.8Ha parcel of Cabernet Franc planted in 2006. At an elevation of 380m above sea level and surrounded by mountain ‘fynbos’ vegetation, this block is exposed to many natural elements resulting in very low yields. The soil on Pondokrug is red granitic loam with a high clay content which sustains the vines during the summer months. These factors allow us to produce an intense wine with unique flavours and a solid tannin structure. All grapes used in producing this wine are grown on two small terraces of Pondokrug. These small parcels of grapes were specifically selected, harvested by hand and vinified separately. Fermentation was carried out by yeast which occur naturally on the grape skins and in the winery. Our red wines spend three to four weeks fermenting and macerating on the skins in small open top tanks with one or two gentle ‘punch-downs’ performed per day. This wine spent 20 months maturing in seasoned 225 litre French oak barrels before being bottled by hand without filtration. 1475 bottles and 50 Magnums were produced.TASTING NOTE
The Pondokrug Cabernet Franc 2019 is bright blood red in colour. The nose is a deep, complex and intriguing mix of bright red cherry fruit, cloves, and some typical bell pepper character. The palate explodes with ripe cherry and black current flavours with hints of dried herbs. The tight chalky tannins balance the big fruit palate hold the wine into a long, succulent and dry finish. Drink 2025-2036.VINTAGE REPORT
The 2019 vintage was quite a challenging one at Keermont. The yields were very small, but the wines have turned out beautifully. Coming off the back of four very dry years in the Cape, the vines were taking a bit strain. Winter rainfall was just slightly below average. Winter temperatures were moderate and perhaps not cold enough for the vines to break dormancy properly as we experienced quite uneven budding in spring. Spring started off cool and wet so the vines grew well, although the disease pressure was quite high. From that point onwards, the vintage conditions were good with some summer rains and warm temperatures without any major heat spikes. Harvest started on 30 January, but was interrupted by 40mm of rain the following week. This pepped the vines up for the final ripening of the grapes. Grapes were harvested in a very healthy condition although sugar levels were generally lower and acidity varied.ANALYSIS
Alc: 15.0 % pH: 3.47 TA: 5.8 g/L RS: 3.1 g/L TSO2: 33 mg/L VA: 0.85 g/LACCOLADES
PONDOKRUG CAB FRANC 19: 4 stars PLATTER GUIDE PONDOKRUG CAB FRANC 19: 94 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) PONDOKRUG CAB FRANC 18: 4 stars PLATTER GUIDE PONDOKRUG CAB FRANC 18: 94 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) PONDOKRUG CAB FRANC 18: 93 pts NEAL MARTIN (VINOUS) PONDOKRUG CAB FRANC 17: 4 ½ stars PLATTER GUIDE PONDOKRUG CAB FRANC 17: 94 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) PONDOKRUG CAB FRANC 17: 90 pts NEAL MARTIN (VINOUS) PONDOKRUG CAB FRANC 17: 90 pts WINE SPECTATOR PONDOKRUG CAB FRANC 16: 94 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) PONDOKRUG CAB FRANC 16: 91 pts NEAL MARTIN (VINOUS) PONDOKRUG CAB FRANC 16: 94 pts WINE MAGAZINE PONDOKRUG CAB FRANC 16: 4 ½ stars PLATTER GUIDE PONDOKRUG CAB FRANC 15: 96 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) PONDOKRUG CAB FRANC 15: 4 ½ star PLATTER GUIDE PONDOKRUG CAB FRANC 15: 90 pts NEAL MARTIN PONDOKRUG CAB FRANC 14: 92 pts NEAL MARTIN (Wine Advocate) PONDOKRUG CAB FRANC 14: 94 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) PONDOKRUG CAB FRANC 14: 4 stars PLATTER GUIDE -
Keermont Vineyards is a specialist wine estate set in the 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. Vineyard aspects vary from Northeast through North to West facing and they lie 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 29 months maturing in seasoned French oak barriques (first, second, third fill) before being bottled by hand without filtration on 6 August 2020. 3685 bottles and 100 magnums were produced. The Keermont Amphitheatre 2018 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 2018 opens with rich ripe fruit complimented by hints of baked pudding, vanilla, cloves and potpourri. The palate is luxurious and layered. Vibrant red fruit flavours of strawberries and cherries with typical herbal notes with hints if cured meat and sandal wood. Layers of flavour and tannin linger into a long, balanced savoury finish. Drink 2025-2037.VINTAGE REPORT
Despite prevailing drought conditions, 2018 was a very good growing season on Keermont. We had a fairly cold winter although it was drier than usual. Spring arrived quite early and the warm weather ensured an even budburst. We had some good rain showers during the season which allowed for the vines to grow sufficiently. These factors led to the formation of a healthy crop which ripened evenly. We had very notable diurnal temperature variation during this season (warm days and cool nights) which is responsible for good tannin, colour, and flavour development. Harvest started at the beginning of February and ran very smoothly. We processed 87 tons (13 varieties) in the Keermont winery over the period of seven weeks.BLOCKS
BLOCKVARIETYPLANTEDYIELD%SteepsideSyrah20055.3 ton/Ha15%High RoadMerlot20053.0 ton/Ha23%Cottage LaneCab Sauv20065.2 ton/Ha22%High RoadCab Franc20073.1 ton/Ha14%SteepsidePetit Verdot20053.2 ton/Ha17%HomesteadMalbec20075.5 ton/Ha8%SteepsideMourvedre20092.4 ton/Ha1%ANALYSIS
Alc: 15.0 % pH: 3.58 TA: 5.5 g/L RS: 3.1 g/L TSO2: 45 mg/L VA: 0.80 g/LACCOLADES
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 -
(375ml) The KEERMONT FLEURFONTEIN (‘flower fountain’) derives its name from a beautiful spring on the farm. The Sauvignon blanc vineyard from which grapes are sourced for this wine lies just below this spring. We use a distinctive technique to produce raisins in the vineyard which give the Fleurfontein its concentration and sweetness. Raisins are produced by using a pair of pliers to pinch the stem of the bunches while they ripen on the vine. This pinching action stops the translocation of fluids into and out of the grapes, which then stops them from becoming over ripe. We do this when the grapes are at optimal ripeness in order to concentrate the juice with the perfect sugar to acid balance. The grapes dry out naturally during the warm summer and are harvested a few weeks later. The syrupy juice is squeezed from them with a hard pressing process. This is slowly fermented by indigenous yeast in Hungarian and French oak barrels and then matures in these barrels for about 15 months. Total production for this bottling was seven barrels yielding 3305 bottles. All grapes used in producing this wine were grown on Keermont Vineyards. Processing, maturation, and bottling were carried out by hand in our cellar.TASTING NOTE
Yellow gold in colour, the Fleurfontein 2024 exudes aromas of dried apricot, litchi, and pine apple with hints of almond, vanilla and sweet spice. The palate is full and creamy with concentrated flavours of dried fruit, honey vanilla biscuit and a touch of curry spice. A central core of acidity gives the wine a long, complex, salted caramel finish. Drink now through to 2035.VINTAGE REPORT
2024 will be remembered as a good vintage on Keermont, although yields were generally very low resulting in a small crop. We had a very cold and wet winter resulting in substantial flooding in the Cape. Fortunately, we didn’t sustain too much damage and the conditions were actually very beneficial to the vineyards. The cool, wet weather led to slow budding. The young shoots are suspectable to attack over this period and damage can be caused by snails, Duiker (small buck), and baboons. Spring warmed up and the vines started to grow strongly. We had good rain showers during the early season to keep the vineyards going, although may have affected flowering leading to lighter bunches. The middle of the season dried up and, from Christmas onwards, we experience several heatwaves. This dried the vineyards out quickly and led to some sunburn on exposed bunches. The light crop ripened quickly under the warm conditions and we started harvesting early (23 January). We quickly progressed through the different varieties and by the end of February, all of the grapes had been harvested except for the dried grapes for Fleurfontein. Yields were down by about 30% on average, but despite fairly tough conditions in the late season, the vineyards looked healthy and balanced throughout the vintage. The grapes tasted amazing and had good analysis and I expect that we are going to have some beautifully intense wines.BLOCKS
BLOCKVARIETYPLANTED%Low RoadSauvignon blanc200583%RiversideRoussanne201417%ANALYSIS
Alc: 11 % pH: 3.41 TA: 7.0 g/L RS: 253 g/L TSO2: 149 mg/L VA: 1.41 g/LACCOLADES
FLEURFONTEIN 23: 5 stars PLATTER'S GUIDE FLEURFONTEIN 23: 95 pts NEAL MARTIN (Vinous) FLEURFONTEIN 22: 4 ½ stars PLATTER'S GUIDE FLEURFONTEIN 22: 95 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) FLEURFONTEIN 22: 94 pts NEAL MARTIN (Vinous) FLEURFONTEIN 21: 90 pts WINE SPECTATOR FLEURFONTEIN 21: 96 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) FLEURFONTEIN NV: 4 ½ stars PLATTER'S GUIDE FLEURFONTEIN NV: 94 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) FLEURFONTEIN 19: 97 pts NEAL MARTIN (Vinous) FLEURFONTEIN 19: 90 pts WINE SPECTATOR FLEURFONTEIN 19: 93 pts WINE MAGAZINE FLEURFONTEIN 19: 4 ½ stars PLATTER'S GUIDE FLEURFONTEIN 18: 95 pts NEAL MARTIN (Vinous) FLEURFONTEIN 18: 4 ½ stars PLATTER'S GUIDE FLEURFONTEIN 18: 92pts TIM ATKIN (MW) FLEURFONTEIN 17: 93pts TIM ATKIN (MW) FLEURFONTEIN 17: 4 stars PLATTER'S GUIDE FLEURFONTEIN 17: 93 pts NEAL MARTIN FLEURFONTEIN 15: 95 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) FLEURFONTEIN 15: 94 pts NEAL MARTIN (Wine Advocate) FLEURFONTEIN 14: 94 pts TIM ATKIN (MW) FLEURFONTEIN 14: 94pts NEAL MARTIN (Wine Advocate) FLEURFONTEIN 13: FIRST CLASS British Airways FLEURFONTEIN 13: 16.5 pts JANCIS ROBINSON FLEURFONTEIN 12: 91pts NEAL MARTIN (Wine Advocate) FLEURFONTEIN 12: 94 ptsTIM ATKIN (MW) FLEURFONTEIN 12: FIRST CLASS British Airways FLEURFONTEIN 12: 4½ starsPLATTER GUIDE 2015 FLEURFONTEIN 10: 92 pts NEAL MARTIN (Wine Advocate) FLEURFONTEIN 10: 4 stars PLATTER GUIDE 2012
