Steenberg Catharina 2017

Steenberg, originally known as Swaaneweide (the feeding place of swans), is located about twenty minutes from the Cape Town city centre. In 1682 Catharina Michelse, also known as The Widow Ras (Michelse was the name of her fifth husband) asked Simon van der Stel for a portion of ground at the foot of the Ou Kaapse Weg and he agreed to lease twenty-five morgen to her. After he became the owner of Groot Constantia in 1685, she asked him for a legal title deed and a mandate was granted to her in 1688 to ‘cultivate, to plough and to sow and also to possess the farm below the stone mountain.’ This historic mountainside winery is now owned by Graham Beck. Situated at the southernmost point of the Constantia Wine Route, vineyards have the advantage of being open to cooling breezes from nearby False Bay. Lean decomposed granite soils, with water retention ability contribute to the minerality of the wines.
Their flagship red, Catharina is blended from only the best barrels from each vintage. Each cultivar is vinified and aged separately in a traditional red wine making style. After pressing, the wine was transferred to French oak barrels (75% new, 20% second fill and 5% third fill) for malolactic fermentation and maturation of eighteen months. The constituent parts were then chosen, blended and returned for further maturation for six months.
This Bordeaux-style blend is made from 79% Merlot, 12% Petit Verdot, 5% Malbec, and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is named for the farm’s original tough-spirited founder.