Wine Composition
49% Cabernet Sauvignon; 18% Cinsaut; 13% Merlot, 11% Petit Verdot; 5% Malbec, 4% Cabernet Franc
Winemakers Comments
Aromas of fresh plums and red cherries, balanced with a touch of oak on the nose. Juicy mouth filling flavors of red berries are supported by a fine, silky tannin structure and a rounded long finish. The Cabernet Sauvignon component adds body and complexity whilst the Cinsaut brings great perfume and accessibility to this versatile wine.
Awards
Tim Atkin | 92 points
Technical Analysis
Alcohol Percentage
14.36%
TA
5.8g/l
pH
3.55
RS
1.7g/l
Vineyard / Cellar Techniques
The wines were fermented separately until dry in traditional open concrete tanks with regular manual plunging. Secondary fermentation proceeded in tanks after which the wines were moved to French oak barrels. Blended after a year of ageing and matured for a further 8 months in 225L barrels and 4500L oak tanks. No fining
Winemaker
Name - Christo le Riche
Winery
The bespoke winery was initially operated from Jonkershoek, Stellenbosch, in an old cellar that needed considerable renovation. With great attention to detail, Etienne carefully updated the space, and production started. During this time, he also established the business model for Le Riche, which continues to be sourcing the highest quality fruit from a close network of trusted grape growers. This gave him the freedom to focus on the winemaking side of the process, a decision Etienne made with intent.By 2010, Etienne had been joined by his children, Yvonne and Christo, to assist in the growing business. One of their first tasks was identifying a new home for Le Riche wines, which eventually became their own property in the lower Helderberg region where the cellar is based today.
With the freedom to build their cellar from scratch, the winery design was influenced by the previous cellar in Jonkershoek, ensuring consistency of wine style. With traditional open-top concrete fermentation tanks and a minimum intervention winemaking approach, the winery provides a platform to create ultra-premium red wines in a classic South African style. The first vintage from the new cellar was released in 2014.
Today, Le Riche is managed by four core members, consisting of Cellarmaster Christo le Riche, Cape Wine Master Yvonne le Riche, Commercial Manager Francois le Riche and Assistant Winemaker Mark Daniels. While founder Etienne le Riche is now retired, he still acts in an advisory role, ensuring the winery continues the pursuit of expressing the finest Cabernet possible.
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