Wine Composition
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Winemakers Comments
Anna Catherina’s second name means ‘purity’, a virtue Melck valued, and one that this Simonsberg Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon seeks to express with its concentrated dark fruit (black cherries, berries and plums) underscored by fresh acidity and framed by cedar wood and spice from 20 months in French oak (10% new). Sourced from three different blocks on the estate, it’s opulent yet polished, a wine of integration, balance and great length, true to its terroir just as Melck stayed true to his beliefs.
Awards
Tim Atkin | 92 points (2015)
Technical Analysis
Alcohol Percentage
14.27%
Total Acidity
5.5 g/l
Ph
3.54
Residual Sugar
3.57 g/l
Cellar Techniques
The grapes were handpicked yielding 6 tons per hectare. They were then crushed, destalked and pumped into a combination of stainless steel and open fermenters. A controlled fermentation was ensured and regular pump-overs and punch-downs were done. Matured in 60% new French Oak for 20 months. The fruit, tannin structure and fine acidity indicates a wine of balance and finesse reflective of the Simonsberg terroir.
Winemaker
Name - Hattingh de Villiers
Winery
Tucked into the exquisite Knorhoek Valley north of Stellenbosch, Muratie Wine Estate, one of the oldest estates in South Africa, under the stewardship of Rijk Melck and his family, has been at the heart of a lot of passionate debate. This debate is centred largely around the desire to protect a century’s old wine experience that is a magnet for wine lovers around the world.
Muratie's rich history is captured in every nook and cranny. Wherever you are on the estate you cannot help being moved by a sense of the many generations that have lived and worked there. The buildings, the artifacts and even the shrubs and trees exude an aura of the colourful past reaching towards an even more fruitful future.
Standing in front of the cellar door at Muratie, you will see a small white building, this was the first home that Lourens Campher built for his family. Beside the house is the oak tree his wife, Ansela van de Caab, planted. The strength and beauty of the tree is testament to the steadfast love Lourens had for his Ansela.