Higher rainfall meant some recovering from the challenging drought period. This resulted in better crop with lager yields than 2019. Moderate temperatures during the ripening stages contributed to good flavour retention in the grape. 2020 Promises full wines with concentrated flavor profiles.

Grapes are picked by hand, placed into small lug boxes, and transported to the cellar in a refrigerated truck. In the cellar, the whole berries are double sorted with optical sorting and then gravity-fed into wood fermenters. Each batch is cold soaked for a few days and then slowly brought up in temperature, where fermentation takes place naturally. After fermentation, 5 days of maceration on the skins are allowed. The wines were aged for 24 months in 50% new French oak, bottled unfiltered, and then bottle aged for 3 years. The grapes are mostly from from our Franschhoek vineyards, and a small part from our Groenekloof vineyards.

The 2019 vintage in Franschhoek marked a significant turnaround from the tough conditions of previous years. After enduring three years of intense drought, the vineyards bounced back, resulting in a much higher yield compared to 2018. Although the fluctuating weather during the crucial flowering and fruit set in October caused some uneven ripening, the overall growing season was marked by moderate conditions that encouraged strong vine growth and lush canopies. The slightly cooler temperatures leading up to harvest allowed the grapes to develop beautifully, with a great balance of acidity and exceptional flavours.

Our 2019 Cabernet Franc was made using only our vineyards in Franschhoek. We hand-pick each grape at its peak ripeness and carefully place them in small lug boxes. To maintain their quality, the grapes are transported to the cellar in refrigerated trucks. Once they arrive, the whole berries are carefully double-sorted, including a pass through an optical sorter, before being gently gravity-fed into wooden fermenters.

The winemaking process is handled with the same care as the grape selection. We start with a cold soak for a few days to allow the flavours to deepen, then gradually bring the must up to temperature. Fermentation happens naturally without using any cultivated yeast. After fermentation, the wine remains on the skins for up to five days, allowing for extended maceration to extract additional depth and complexity.

The wine is then aged in 50% new 225 litre French oak barriques for 24 months, where it develops its character and structure. After this, it is bottled without filtration to preserve the vineyard’s essence. To ensure it reaches its full potential, the wine undergoes an additional three years of bottle aging before being released.

Only 20 barriques were produced for the 2019 vintage.

Due to a prolonged drought that was possibly the worst in a century’s worth of records, the harvest season of 2018 was especially challenging. The dry weather that persisted throughout the season had some positive effects, namely that the vines were in better health and there were either fewer or no instances of pests and diseases recorded. Because of the stress caused by a lack of water, the berries were significantly smaller than usual, which led to a reduced harvest. Smaller berries offer higher colour and flavour i ntensity, and the 2018 vintage i s expected t o b e of high quality due t o the milder temperatures during harvest.

Grapes are hand-picked, placed in small lug boxes, and transported to the cellar in a refrigerated truck. The whole berries are double-sorted in the cellar using optical sorting before being gravity-fed into wood fermenters. Each batch is cold-soaked for a few days and then gradually brought up to temperature, where fermentation occurs naturally. After fermentation, the skins can be macerated for 5 days. The wines were matured in 50% new French wood for 24 months before being bottled unfiltered and bottle-aged for three years.

The vineyards chosen for the Anthonij Rupert wine range are all carefully selected from very specific locations and soil types. Each block’s canopy and final yield are precisely managed to express the character of the specific varietal and its location.

Handpicked grapes are placed in small lug boxes and transported to the cellar in refrigerated trucks. Whole berries are double-sorted in the cellar using an optical sorting machine before being gravity-fed into French oak fermenters. Each batch is cold-soaked for a few days before being gradually warmed up. Extended skin maceration is completed after fermentation. In the barrel, malolactic fermentation occurs naturally. The wines are aged for 18 to 24 months in 225-liter French oak barrels (60% new) before being bottled unfiltered and bottle-aged for 3 years.

The vineyards selected for the Anthonij Rupert range of wines are all carefully chosen from very specific sites and soil types. The canopies of each block and the final yield of each site is managed precisely to express the character of the different varietal and location.

Grapes are handpicked, placed into small lug boxes and transported to the cellar in refrigerated trucks. In the cellar, the whole berries are double- sorted with an optical sorting line and then gravity-fed into French oak fermenters. Each batch is cold-soaked for a few days and then slowly brought up in temperature. Malolactic fermentation occurred naturally in the barrel. The wines were aged for 18- to 24 months in 225l French oak barrels (60% new), bottled unfiltered and finally bottle-aged for 3 years.

These Cabernet Franc vineyards selected for the Anthonij Rupert range are chosen from vines planted on very specific sites and soil types. The canopies of each block and the final yield of each site were precisely managed to express the character of the varietal and location.

Grapes are handpicked, placed into small lug boxes and transported to the cellar in refrigerated trucks. In the cellar, the whole berries are double-sorted with an optical sorting line and then gravity-fed into French oak fermenters. Each batch is cold-soaked for a few days and then slowly brought up in temperature. Malolactic fermentation occurred naturally in the barrel. The wines were aged for 18- to 24 months in 225l French oak barrels (60% new), bottled unfiltered and finally bottle-aged for 3 years.

These Cabernet Franc vineyards selected for the Anthonij Rupert range are chosen from vines planted on very specific sites and soil types. The canopies of each block and the final yield of each site were precisely managed to express the character of the varietal and location.

Grapes are handpicked, placed into small lug boxes and transported to the cellar in refrigerated trucks. In the cellar, the whole berries are double-sorted with an optical sorting line and then gravity-fed into French oak fermenters. Each batch is cold-soaked for a few days and then slowly brought up in temperature. Malolactic fermentation occurred naturally in the barrel. The wines were aged for 18- to 24 months in 225l French oak barrels (60% new), bottled unfiltered and finally bottle-aged for 3 years.

The vineyards selected for the Anthonij w Rinuepse artr e chosen from vines planted on very specific sites and soil types. The canopies of each block and the final yield of each site were managed precisely to express the character of the different varietal and location.

Grapes are picked by hand, placed into small lug boxes and transported to the cellar in a cool truck. In the cellar, the whole berries are manually double-sorted and then gravity-fed into fermenters. Each batch is cold-soaked for a few days and then slowly brought up in temperature. Malolactic fermentation occurred naturally in the barrel. The wines were aged for 18- to 24 months in 225 new French oak barrels, bottled unfiltered and bottle-aged for a year.

The vineyards selected for the Anthonij Rupert wines are chosen from vines planted on very specific sites and soil types. The canopies of each block and the final yield of each site was managed precisely to express the character of the different varietal and location.

Grapes are picked by hand, placed into small lug boxes and transported to the cellar in a cool truck. In the cellar, the whole berries are manually double-sorted and then gravity-fed into fermenters. Each batch is cold-soaked for a few days and then slowly brought up in temperature. Malolactic fermentation occurred naturally in the barrel. The wines were aged for 18- to 24 months in 225l new French oak barrels, bottled unfiltered and bottle-aged for a year.