Delheim - 'Iconoclast' Red Blend, Stellenbosch - 2012

Wine Composition

Winemakers Comments

Delheim wine estate has released a once-off and super exclusive Cape Blend that celebrates the life of the late Spatz Sperling. Called Iconoclast, this wine from the 2012 vintage is a tribute to the South African wine pioneer and his fearless challenge of conventional wisdoms. Iconoclast is a blend of four cultivars although not typical of a Cape Blend, which commonly use South African Pinotage as the lead variety.

Iconoclast is Shiraz-driven, a quirk that would have made Spatz smile not only for being contrary to the mainstream, but also because Shiraz was his favorite.

Awards

Technical Analysis

Alcohol Percentage

14.87 % 

TA

6 g/l 

pH

3.62 

RS

2.6 g/l 

Vineyards

The unique terroir these vines are grown echoes in this blend. The age of these vines ranging from 10 years to older also contributes to the exceptional quality of the grapes at harvest.

Vinification

Grapes are picked by hand in order to minimalize material other than grapes as well as to be able to do bunch selection in the vineyard. Great care is taken in the cellar to optimize extraction of  flavours during fermentation. Pump-overs and punch downs are done three times per day with two racks and return being done before the alcoholic fermentation is completed. Fermentation temperature was maintained between 25 and 28 degree Celsius. Post-maturation was done on the Merlot component. The different components spend 16 months in French oak, hogshead, barrels of which 30% were new. After the 16 months, the blend was made and aged for another 4 months as a blend in 300L barrels of which only 20% where new oak.

Winemaker 

Name - Spatz Sperling 

Winery 

Delheim Wine Estate is situated in the Simonsberg Ward of Stellenbosch in South Africa, with views that are breathtaking all year round.
Over the years, Delheim became a microcosm of Spatz's visionary work in the greater Stellenbosch community and the Cape Winelands as a whole.
The indomitable Spatz was the unwitting pioneer of public wine tasting events personally hosted by winemakers outside the Winelands. In 1962 he embarked upon his first 'tasting tour', ferrying himself and his wines by car, train, and plane to East London, Port Elizabeth, and Johannesburg, the first producer to do so.
The ultimate wine industry recognition of Michael 'Spatz' Sperling's extraordinary contribution to Cape wine came in 2009, the year in which the industry celebrated 350 years of winemaking. He was one the pioneers honoured with the 350 Celebration Scroll.

Conservation: By sharing the land amongst all the stakeholders and training people to understand and appreciate - as well as work on - the land, Delheim is fostering a system that yields a livelihood for everyone; one that will continue to do so for future generations. With 375 hectares of land situated in the beautiful Simonsberg Ward of Stellenbosch, Delheim is a keen exponent of the wine industry’s movement to conserve the region.