Darling is a coastal district just north of Cape Town. Here, the Benguela current that runs up the west coast of Africa usher in cooling winds that sweep through the vineyards in the afternoon. Darling used to be a part of the Wine of Origin Swartland region, with low rainfall, hot days and cool nights, but the powers that be soon realised that this area has a vastly different terroir.

The vineyard grows on a steep south-facing granitic hill with the most beautiful Atlantic coast views, surrounded by fynbos, 9 km away from the ocean’s edge. The massive day and night temperature fluctuation (diurnal shift) is evident in the wine as it results in thicker skins, which leads to a higher tannin content and more colour. The cool nights also allow the grapes to ripen slower and preserve acidity, which paves the way for balanced, complex wines at optimal ripeness.

All of the grapes were hand-picked, packed in crates, and rested in a cold room for 24 hours. Bunch sorting was done the next day, after which the grapes were transferred to an open-top fermenter (100% whole bunch) where it cold-soaked for 3 days before natural fermentation started, supported by two to punch-downs per day to promote extraction.

Once fermentation was completed the wine was left on the skins for 10 days before we lightly pressed it and transferred it to old oak barrels. The vintage was then allowed to mature for 10 months before it was racked, blended, and bottled.