Alto Estate Blend 2022

Alto is a farm with a rich history, befitting its status as one of the icon estates of the Western Cape winelands. The first title deeds date back to 1693, but it was only in 1919 that the farm was given over entirely to vineyard. Alto is situated in the heart of the so-called ‘Golden Triangle’, and the farm’s position on the warmer northern slopes of the Helderberg mountain make it ideally suited to red wine production. And yet the diversity of the farm allows for enormous complexity in the vineyards.

The Alto Estate Blend is their flagship wine and is a carefully crafted blend of their three main varieties; Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Cabernet Franc. Each component contributes a unique characteristic to the final wine. The Cabernet Sauvignon adds dark fruit, power and stature. The Shiraz adds complexity and depth, and the Cabernet Franc enhances the freshness and balance of the blend. This wine is made from grapes of north-facing vines, between fourteen and twenty-eight years old, that grow in decomposed granite soil situated at altitudes of 135m to 500m above sea level. The vines on the higher slopes are fanned by the cooling maritime breezes from nearby False Bay. The three grape varieties used in this blend ripen at different times and were harvested at 24° to 25° Balling. Each varietal was vinified separately and fermented on the skins for seven to twenty-one days in closed stainless-steel tanks. The wine was matured for eighteen months in 70% new French oak barrels.  Each vintage is produced in limited quantities and is a must-have for the discerning collector’s cellar.