Ernie Els Major Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
£19.45 incl. VAT
12 in stock
Ernie Els Major Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 has red berry fruits billowing from the glass with classic cigar notes over elegant crushed dried herbs, black cherry and ripe plums with red cherry freshness. The entry is inviting, fresh with a vibrant youthful energy of bouncy red fruit and an earthy undertow. The tannins are still tight, medium bodied and fresh expressing the crystalline character of the 2017 vintage. As the wine evolves in the glass there is an attractive tension between red and black fruit with a hint of liquorice over a linear focused and dry finish.
Platter: 4.5*
Tim Atkin: 91 pts
Decanter 95 pts
Ernie Els Winery is perfectly situated on slopes of the Helderberg Mountains in the Stellenbosch Wine Appellation. Here, cooling breezes blow up from False Bay, ameliorating summer heat and allowing a slower ripening and thus a longer hang time for the bunches. The warm summer weather meant that the shoot growth was diminished, and the vines started producing small bunches. The grapes were concentrated, both in colour and flavour.
The Hutton Clovelly soils contain a high gravel content which offers rich middle palate weight giving this wine exceptional depth and fruit purity. The grapes were hand harvested and the different Cabernet Sauvignon clones were vinified separately for later blending. There is a 7% Petit Verdot component in the blend. The bunches were sorted and whole berries went for fermentation in open top fermenters. Some of the components underwent on skin maceration after fermentation. Maturation took place in French Oak Barrels. The different batches were then carefully tasted before the final blend was made up. The wine was then prepared for bottling.
