Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
£37.95 incl. VAT
30 in stock
Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 has a complex nose of dark aromas of black berry, cassis, blueberry with tobacco cedar and oak spice. The palate is supple and juicy – with concentrated black fruit supported by oak spice, roasted nuts and a hint of fresh fynbos. The tannins are firm yet well-knit and integrated.
97/100 Decanter
97/100 Greg Sherwood
The 2019 vintage in the Cape yielded another iconic Paul Sauer Cabernet Sauvignon (69%) based Cape Bordeaux blend. From the very moment of its final assemblage, all eyes were on its later release sibling, Kanonkop’s 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, such was the power, freshness and intensity inherent in the Paul Sauer 2019 blend. Produced from 30-year-old vines which are nearing old vine heritage status, grown on dry land vineyards on decomposed Granite, Hutton and Clovelly soils, the wine was matured for 24 months in 225-litre French Never oak barrels with a 50% new oak portion and a 50% second fill portion. From the very first nosing of the glass, the aromatics are incredibly vibrant, lifted, and expressive with enticing perfumed notes of pressed violets and purple flowers over saline crème de cassis, black cherry liquor, macerated plums, oyster shell, moist cherry tobacco and beautifully integrated notes of subtle sweet cedary oak and seductive vanilla pod spice. Medium bodied and initially quite weightless, lithe and supple in the mouth on entry, before a massive shock wave of intense black cherry, salty black currant, graphite, and tart blueberry fruits invigorate the senses, making the palate salivate with its bright refreshing acids and intense mouthwatering persistence. This is an exceptionally well-made single cultivar wine with intricate pinpoint tannins, tart sweet-sour acids, a piercing fruit concentration and the most harmoniously seamless structure possible. It has all the elegance, focus and poise of the greatest Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Vins of the world. Drink from 2024 to 2044+.
Paired with …
All types of steak | Slow-cooked venison |
Braised beef short ribs | Rosemary lamb
shanks | Matured hard cheeses | Oxtail
VINTAGE CONDITIONS
The carry-over effect of the previous three year’s drought is still visible in this
vintage, despite the higher rainfall during the season. The resulting crop was
smaller, but of high quality. Despite the relative low water stress, the cool weather
contributed to smaller berries and less irrigation was needed this growing season.
WINEMAKING / MATURATION
Fermentation took place in open top concrete fermenters at 290C. The floating skins
were punched down by hand, every 2 hours during fermentation. The juice was
drawn off the skins after 5 days. After malolactic fermentation the wine was
matured for 24 months in 50% new and 50% second fill 225L French Nevers oak
barrels.
Producer
Kanonkop is a 4th generation family-owned wine estate, which has been handed down from generation to generation and is now in the hands of brothers Paul and Johann Krige. The name Kanonkop is derived from a hillock (kop) on the Simonsberg mountain above the wine estate from where, during the 17th and 18th centuries, a cannon (kanon) was fired to announce the arrival of sailing ships entering Table Bay. The roar of the cannon would be the signal to local farmers, who were waiting to make the 50-kilometer journey to the harbour, to load up their wagons with fresh fruit and vegetables to barter their produce. The first wines bearing the Kanonkop label were produced in 1973. To wine lovers familiar with the centuries old châteaux and domaines of Bordeaux and Burgundy respectively, the winemaking history of our estate may seem surprisingly young. For 1973 was the year in which Kanonkop’s contention for a place in the annals of South African wine greatness began, just three years before the death of the man to whom the wine estate owes everything it has achieved and all the recognition it has attained: Paul Sauer.
