Karin 2025
R240,00
The nose shows elderflower, ruby grapefruit and passionfruit, with subtle gooseberry and a slightly greener tone than the 2024 vintage. The palate displays the typical Cabernet Franc grip, balanced by bright citrus acidity, a fine creamy texture, and a saline finish that reflects our coastal site. Enjoy young for clarity and freshness, or cellar for up to three years to develop additional complexity.
13.41
ALC
6.6
TA
3.34
pH
0.31
VA
1.70
RS
Words from our winemaker, Megan:
The Vintage
After a nervous start with winter rains and cold units very delayed, the 2025 harvest is now being hailed as one of the greats, characterized by sustained mild and dry conditions. Late July-August rains delayed pruning significantly, but considering that early pruning promotes growth, while late pruning increases fertility, it was positive. We managed to enable each vine to build up reserves before the buds emerge and become vulnerable, whilst reducing vigour and resultant reserve depletion to allow for a longer hang time in a season that delivered. The 2025 harvest asked us to slow down, and in doing so, gave us one of the most rewarding seasons yet. Even with budding and ripening arriving later than usual, a stretched season gave the vines time to build character at their own pace. Winds swept through our vineyards, which already daringly cling to our near-vertiginous mountainside, but they shaped smaller berries with thicker skins, bringing colour, intensity and freshness without heavy alcohols. There were moments of challenge — tricky leaf work, long days on the slopes, and the patience of waiting — but every bit of effort was matched by the quality of fruit we received in the cellar. It takes a village to raise a vintage, and the combined efforts and expertise of everyone involved will echo sensorially from ground to glass as these vibrant 2025 vintage wines with deep colour, silky tannins and exceptional longevity are poured.
The Wine
The 2025 KARIN carries the same quiet confidence as its predecessor. Its pale onion-skin colour suggests delicacy, yet the wine delivers focus and drive. In pursuit of purity and freshness, fruit was harvested at 21.9 °Balling with a natural acidity of 7g/L. The vines were exposed to strong winds during the ripening season, and once the leaves began to tear along their edges, picking commenced.
Small, loosely set Cabernet Franc bunches with ripe stems were cooled overnight and whole-bunch pressed in a gentle three-hour Champenoise cycle to minimise extraction from the skins. The must settled overnight in contact with activated carbon before racking and inoculation with a yeast strain chosen to enhance thiol-type varietal aromas. Fermentation was kept cool and steady, and the finished wine remained on gross lees for six months before a light fining and filtration prior to bottling.
