Fairview - 'Extrano' Red Blend, Coastal Region - 2019 (750ml)

Wine Composition

86% Tempranillo, 7% Carignan, 6% Grenache Noir & Cinsualt 1%

Winemakers Comments

Dark brick burgundy in the glass. Notes on the nose include red berries with a plummy core, herb tea and dusting of raw cocoa. Palate is full bodied with red plum fruit, firm tannin and dry savory finish which will age well for up 5- 8 years.

Awards

Technical Analysis

Alcohol Percentage 

13.91%

TA

5.7 g/l

pH 

3.51

RS

2.5 g/l

Cellar Techniques

The grapes were handpicked and sorted into open top French oak foudres for fermentation. The Grenache Noir and Carignan grapes included 20% whole bunches at the bottom. Punch-downs took place daily and the wine was basket pressed after alcohol fermentation. The components were further matured in French and American oak barrels, of which 20% new barrels were used for a total of 24 months. Each component of the blend was kept separate and until final barrel selection and blending occurred.

Winemaker

Name - Anthony de Jager 

Winery

The Fairview winery at the foothills of the Paarl Mountains was one of the very first wineries to be founded at the Cape in 1693. Just six years later, the first wine was produced. After a turbulent history, Charles Back, grand-father of today's owner with the same name, purchased the farm in 1937 and gave it a new lease of life. Since that time, the estate has been run by the third generation of the Back family - quite successfully. True to the motto 'Go where the terroir is', Charles Back revised the concept of Fairview in the 1980s and experimented with lesser-known grape varieties. This does not only allow a larger variety of wines and optimal conditions for the ripening time of the grapes, but also innovative wine creations which are closely linked with tradition. 

The combination of innovation and tradition also mirrored in the unusual crest of the winery. The goat has become the estate's mascot long ago and has become part of Fairview's identity. A legend goes that some errant members of Fairview's long-established goatherd once escaped from their paddock into the Fairview vineyards after Charles Back's young son Jason accidentally left the gate open. The little group happily roamed among the vineyards, showing rare discernment by selecting some of the ripest berries from the vines. Those berries have been used to make this white blend, a light, bright green, medium-bodied wine with aromas of apricots and pear and zesty acidity.