2016 Keermont Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Stellenbosch South Africa

VIN95 The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is blended with 7% Malbec and 6% Cabernet Franc and spent 22 months in seasoned French oak. It has a classy bouquet of expressive red berry fruit, cedar and light undergrowth aromas that leans toward the Left Bank. The palate is medium-bodied with great sapidity right from the start. The tannins are extremely fine here, and the finish fans out gloriously with just enough bite to tempt you back for another sip. This is an outstanding Cabernet from winemaker Alex Starey.

Keermont Vineyards is a family-owned farm located in a back valley outside of Stellenbosch, ZA. The name comes from Keerweder, which is the name of the former farm. A keerweder is a dead end in a valley – it literally translates to ‘blocked again’, as the early settlers were blocked by the terrain when they tried to pass through the valley. The winery and vineyards are located in the shadow of Guardian Peak (official name is Suurberg). The mountain fruit here is similar to the grapes grown at the Howell Mountain AVA in Napa Valley.
 
Keermont was founded in 2007 by Mark & Monica Wraith, who moved to the Western Cape from Gauteng in 2003. Her purchased Keerweder III farm as well as Fleurfontein farm, joining them into one estate known today as Keermont Vineyards. Their first vintage was 2007, which yielded a tiny crop of around 5 barrels (about 108 cases). The first wines were made in an old spring water bottling shed, before the small winery was built in 2010.
 
The Keermont farm totals 157 hectares, with 30 hectares (72 acres) of vines:
 
20 hectares red varietals – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah
10 hectares white varietals – Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Viognier
All grapes used in their wines are grown on Keermont Vineyards. They are fermented, matured and bottled in the winery. Alex Starey has been in charge of the vineyards and winemaking since 2005. Alex studied Viticulture and Oenology at Stellenbosch University; he has travelled and worked in various wine regions including Maipo Valley, Chile; Penedes and Priorat, Spain; St-Emillion and Cote Rotie, France.
 
Small parcels are harvested by hand and fermented separately in order to produce wines with complexity & depth. Some of the Chenin Blanc vines are 40+ years old & used by De Trafford winery.
 
Keermont is certified sustainable & follows a natural and traditional winemaking philosophy – indigenous yeast fermentation, no adjustment to acid or alcohol, maturation in seasoned oak barrels, bottling by hand without filtration. Annual production is around 3,500 cases per year.