Spotlight Staff Members
August 3, 2022
A Day in the Life: Cavalli’s Horticulturist
October 6, 2022
New Wines, New Labels
The adage goes; change is as good as a holiday – and as the 10-year anniversary of Cavalli creeps closer, we’re using this milestone as an opportunity to rebrand and refresh.
As all good craftsmen know, an exceptional product takes time and dedication, and the last ten years at Cavalli have all been about honing our craft and refining our production.
With the turn of season and the arrival of Spring around the corner, what better way to breathe new life into the estate than with the launch of our beautiful new wine labels.
The inspiration for the labels was taken from our terroir and estate surrounds. Founder, Lauren Smith has driven the design with the following in mind: Our soil rich with Koffieklip, our Fynbos, true to the Cape and the silhouette of the Helderberg mountains – a view that has become synonymous with the Cavalli experience, providing the perfect creative inspiration.
The golden thread can be pulled through the range, each new bottle representing its place in the portfolio. The addition of the word “Stellenbosch” under the Cavalli wordmark, creates a sense of place. We are proud members of the Stellenbosch Wine Route, one of the best in the world, and incredibly proud of the work accomplished over the last ten years and the contributions made by all involved.
The main aim of the project is to ‘hero’ the Cavalli brand through our new portfolio that has been carefully refined and formalized, all forming part of the growth strategy, to be acknowledged as a serious wine producer, making some of the best Chenin in South Africa.
The Cavalli Unoaked Chenin Blanc 2022 also marks another new beginning, as it is winemaker’s, Malie McGregor’s first vintage at Cavalli Estate. We look forward to great things to come and many years of delicious Cavalli wine ahead.
Read below for her vintage & winemaking notes:
NOTES FROM OUR WINEMAKER:
Vintage Notes: “Winter 2021 brought sufficient cold and rainfall to ensure even, healthy budbreak in spring, just slightly later than usual. The good health and reserve status of the vines lead to vigorous growth and much effort was made by the vineyard team to maintain balanced canopies with sufficient light penetration and air movement. January saw four very hot weekends in succession that sped up veraison, but the remainder of the ripening season was relatively slow and cool, leading to good colour and flavour development but low acids and high pHs. This cool weather and sporadic rainfall heightened the risk of fungal diseases so the labour was kept exceptionally busy maintaining our spray program, opening up bunch zones for air flow and removing any diseased bunches by hand. The red cultivars were allowed extra hang time though March, giving them fantastic colour and phenolic development, despite weathering a 17mm downpour in early March. We were lucky to bring our last Cabernet Sauvignon in just before the rain of early April. Yields were 20% up on 2021, but 16% down on the blockbuster 2020 crop. All in all, the 2022 vintage shows excellent flavours and structure, but the biggest challenges were certainly disease and pH management. The vineyard and cellar teams did navigated these obstacles well and I expect that they will be very proud of the products of their fantastic work this vintage.”
Winemaking Notes: “Grapes were hand-picked in the early morning at Cavalli in two separate pickings. Grapes were wholebunch pressed and settled overnight to achieve good clarity of juice. Two separate ferments took place using two yeast strains selected to enhance fruity aromas and retain varietal expression. The batches retained good natural acidity and no addition of acid was necessary.”
