Lucca 2019
R380,00
Cabernet Franc led for the first time, LUCCA 2019 is a blend of 53% Cabernet Franc clone CF214 and 47% Merlot clone MO343. Merlot clone MO348 has been removed from the blend in this particular year. That, as well as the dominating Cabernet Franc portion of the blend, has brought forward a vibrant, youthful wine with a certain liveliness on the palate.
14.5
ALC
5.40
TA
3.60
pH
0.40
VA
2.30
RS
Words from our winemaker, Megan:
The Vintage
The 2019 harvest was an extremely challenging one with high degrees of uncertainty. We hit a record low in production, going down by 40% in tonnages from the year prior, but we are confident about the quality of the vintage. Although we received enough rainfall during the growth season, we still felt the after-effects of the preceding four- year drought and our vines and soils have taken some time to recover.
During bud break and flowering we faced severe weather fluctuations, followed by cool windy conditions during fruit set. This lead to the vines producing fewer bunches and smaller berries – which ironically, in terms of quality, was a great thing, as the stressed vines were able to ripen their smaller crop load optimally. In addition to that, the smaller the berries, the higher the skin to juice ratio, and the greater the concentration of flavour. So, what to expect from our reds from this year: Elegance, Austerity, Incredible acid concentrations and insane tannins.
2019 was a pivotal year for Beau Constantia. Our terroir faced a massive shift in climate, and I was honoured enough to take over the entire winemaking process from ground to glass. Fearful? Be not. Change is the basic law of nature, and remaining in sync with our ever-changing environment is a way of life we find humbling, exciting and rewarding.
The Wine
Cabernet Franc led for the first time, LUCCA 2019 is a blend of 53% Cabernet Franc clone CF214 and 47% Merlot clone MO343. Merlot clone MO348 has been removed from the blend in this particular year. That, as well as the dominating Cabernet Franc portion of the blend, has brought forward a vibrant, youthful wine with a certain liveliness on the palate.
Grapes were hand harvested at early morning hours and spent the night in a 4 degree Celsius room, before being hand sorted to berry level on its journey into tank. The fermentation for both lots occurred naturally and the wine spent 25 days on the skins before being gravity drained and having skins basket pressed to barrel. The wine was inoculated for Malolactic fermentation, and post the secondary fermentation spent a further 18 months in 68% new French oak and 32% 2nd- to 3rd fill barrels.
Green, tangy and bright, the medium has managed to perfectly preserve the cooler 2019 growing season in Constantia and clears the sip with a stupendously fresh acidity. The nose of appealing cedar wood and black cherry is lifted by tart cranberry at the plunge of the palate. This mix of fresh fruit and spice is beautifully complimented by fine-boned tannins and the gritty salinity our Beau Constantia wines have become well-known for.
Serve with some responsibly sourced, medium rare game and chimichurri.
