The Laurentius is a blend of 52% cabernet sauvignon and 48% shiraz.
The cabernet sauvignon vineyard was planted in 1987 on slopes facing north-west, and which are situated at 120 metres above sea level. The shiraz is two years older and grows at 140 metres, but also faces north-west. The vines are all grafted onto nematode-resistant rootstocks (Richter 99 & 101 - 14) and are trellised on a five-wire vertical fence system. When needed, they received supplementary irrigation from a quick-coupling sprinkler to limit the amount of moisture-stress they were subjected to.
The yield from both vineyards was restricted to an average of 5 tonnes per hectare to further enhance the quality of the fruit.
All the grapes were hand-picked at 23 - 25 degrees Ballin. After destalking and crushing, the mash was fermented seperately in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks after adding a selected, pure yeast culture . Fermentation temperatures averaged out at around 28 degrees Celsius.
Once malolactic fermentation has been completed, the two wines were racked into 225 litre French barrels: in new oak, as well as second and third fill. Maturation in these barrels lasted for a period of 24 months. After the blend has been made up, a light egg-white fining was used to “polish” the wine.
Classic cabernet sauvignon, the second vintage to be bottled
under the super-premium LORD NEETHLING label from
vines planted in 1987 on slopes facing north-west, and which
are situated at 120 metres above sea level. The vines are
grafted onto nematode-resistant rootstocks (R99 & 101 - 14)
and are trellised on a five-wire “fence” system.
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