Black Elephant Vintners Three Men in a Bath Tub with a Rubber Duck 2023
Grape Varietals & Region: A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz from the Franschoek Valley in South Africa. Grapes selected from 2 old bushvine vineyards, one on Scherpenheuwel in Franschhoek and the other growing in “Die Perskoen” ward of Wellington. Both vineyards grow on decomposed granite soils
Taste Profile: Intense red in color, it has aromas of fresh-picked red berries and vanilla. Medium-bodied with bright acidity and flavours of cherry, liquorice and violets
Winemaking Process: 85% of the fruit is destemmed, with 15% whole bunch. The must macerates for 3-4 days before spontaneous fermentation. To extract colour, flavour and tannin from the grape skins, the must is mixed by hand 2-3 times daily according to extract and tannin development. A short post-ferment maceration is allowed to soften and focus tannins. At this stage, the wine is drained and the skins pressed using our old basket press and transferred directly to the barrel for malolactic fermentation and maturation. After completion of malolactic fermentation, the wine receives a racking to remove solids and an SO2 addition before being laid down for a 16-month maturation period. At this stage, the final blend is assembled and allowed to mature for a further 3months before bottling. The wine received a light egg white fining and filtration before bottling; decanting is recommended within the first 3-5 years. The wine was matured in oak for 19months in used French oak barrels
