Kleine Zalze Wines from Stellenbosch has demonstrated exceptional prowess in this year’s Prescient Cabernet Sauvignon Report, hosted by the online platform winemag.co.za. Two of their wines achieved the highest ratings, with one securing the overall top position. The Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 earned an impressive score of 95 points, while the Vineyard Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 received 94 points.
The competition featured 66 Cabernet Sauvignons, and the judging panel, consisting of winemag.co.za editor Christian Eedes, wine-merchant James Pietersen, and Francois Rautenbach, GM of Singita Premier Wine Direct, evaluated the wines blindly.
RJ Botha, Kleine Zalze’s cellarmaster, emphasized that their achievements in this year’s Prescient Report highlight the winery’s strong commitment to Cabernet Sauvignon as the core red variety in their diverse portfolio. He explained, “As an established Stellenbosch cellar, Cabernet Sauvignon has always been at the heart of Kleine Zalze’s red wine offering as this is the red grape calling-card for the region.” Botha continued to underscore the significance of this achievement, noting that nine of the top ten highest-scoring wines in the report hailed from Stellenbosch vineyards.
Both the award-winning Kleine Zalze Family Reserve 2019 and the Vineyard Selection 2021 were crafted from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes grown on the Kleine Zalze estate, supplemented by select parcels from various Stellenbosch sites. The Family Reserve 2019 was particularly notable for its berries of intense concentration, influenced by a growing season marked by cool conditions during the late stages of ripening.
Botha shared insights into their winemaking process, emphasizing the importance of managing extraction during fermentation to achieve balance and finesse in the final wines. He explained their techniques, involving a combination of punch-downs and pump-overs at different stages of fermentation to extract flavor and tannin while maintaining the right balance.
Following primary fermentation, the grapes for the Family Reserve were gently pressed and aged in 300L French oak barrels, with 80% new oak and 20% a blend of 2nd and 3rd fill, for 18 months before the final blending process.
The Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, on the other hand, derived from a vintage characterized by cool spring conditions and late-ripening fruit. The wine was aged for 20 months in French oak barrels, comprising 40% new wood, 30% second-fill, and the remaining third-fill, before the final blending took place.
