Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection Cabernet Sauvignon

Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection Cabernet Sauvignon is made from a careful selection of grapes from specially farmed vineyards, delivering the style and quality that the winemakers are aiming for with this range. The vineyard selection range offers expressive flavours, complexity, structure, and cellaring potential. Bottled as a Wine of Origin Stellenbosch.

About Kleine Zalze

Kleine Zalze Wines is a South African winery in the heart of the Cape Winelands. The history of winemaking can be traced back as far as 1695. However, the modern history of the estate began when Kobus Basson and his family bought the property in 1996, and there was a large stride forward. In 1996 the estate was scientifically mapped to find the best terroir for different grape varieties and seventeen years of subsequent investment have seen Kleine Zalze become one of the most highly regarded wineries in South Africa. In September 2022 ownership passed to French-owned AdVini, a world-renowned French wine company, thereby beginning a new chapter for Kleine Zalze Wines. They produce a range of wines from the Cellar Selection up to Project Z.

The winery achieved new heights in 2020 by being named Top Performing Winery of the Year by Platter’s South African Wine Guide, which is the South African bible. More recently, Kleine Zalze won four Double Golds and the Best Achiever award at the highly acclaimed Veritas Awards 2022.

Vineyard

The 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes for the Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection Cabernet Sauvignon are sourced mainly from Kleine Zalze’s own vineyards with a few selected parcels from other Stellenbosch blocks. Most of these vineyards are grown on soils consisting of ferricrete – also known as “koffie klip” – in various stages of decomposition. These soils are clay- and iron-rich, and exceptionally well-suited for production of quality Cabernet Sauvignon.

Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection Cabernet Sauvignon Winemaking

The various blocks were harvested at optimum ripeness and vinified separately. After de-stemming, the grapes were fermented in a combination of stainless steel tanks and traditional open-top fermenters. We used a combination of “punch down” and “pump over” at different stages during fermentation for the best possible extraction and to get the balance between flavour and tannin levels. Special care was taken not to over-extract the wine and maintain density without compromising elegance. After primary fermentation, the grapes were gently pressed and transferred to French oak barrels (40% new, 30% second fill and 30 % third fill) for 20 months before final blending.

Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection Cabernet Sauvignon is suitable for vegans and vegetarians.