Thelema - Sutherland Petit Verdot Reserve, Elgin - 2019 (750ml)

Wine Composition

100% Petit Verdot

Winemakers Comments

An intense melange of white pepper, violets and dark chocolate on the nose that leads to a toasted tobacco and cigar box finish on the palate. A serious wine that would own a place in any cellar.

Awards

John Platter | 5 stars

Technical Analysis

Alcohol Percentage 

14%

TA

6 g/l

pH 

3.47

RS

1.6 g/l 

Cellar Techniques 

Natural occurring yeast, Fermentation temparature at 28 °C, De-stalked, hand sorting of berries, crushed and pumped into stainless steel tanks, pumped over for 5 days once per day, left for 2 days before pressing. Racked to barrel for malolactic fermentation. Wine spends 18 months in 225l new French oak barrels. Potential to develop beautifully over the next ten years, enjoy now through to 2029.

Winemaker

Gyles Webb (Cellarmaster) and Rudi Schultz

Winery

Thelema, situated on the spectacular Helshoogte Pass in Stellenbosch, is a family owned and managed wine estate and the home of Thelema and Sutherland Vineyards wines. Gyles Webb bought Thelema, a charming dilapidated fruit farm, in 1983 with the help of his wife’s family. Fruit orchards were pulled out and vines were planted. The manor house was restored and the first wines under the Thelema label were released in 1988. The ripe pure-fruited wines were a revelation to many and it wasn’t long before the romantic tale of a run-down old fruit farm became the success story of an avant-garde winery. By the mid 90's Thelema’s wines sold out within a month after release, making it one of the most sought-after wine estates in South Africa. 
The high altitude and the deep red soils are ideal for premium quality wine grape production.
"We do not buy in any grapes and all wines are bottled on the estate to maintain absolute control over every aspect of the wine production. The terroir in combination with Gyles Webb’s winemaking style results in flavourful, flamboyant, complex and long-lasting wines with a distinctive South African character. In 2000, Gyles moved into the role of cellar master and handed over the winemaking duties to the talented Rudi Schultz (one of the famous Schultz winemaking brothers). We hope you enjoy our wines and it would be a pleasure to welcome you at Thelema for a chat and a taste of our latest release."