Tasting Notes
Intense garnet to dark purple in colour with vibrant aromas of violets, cocoa,and blackcurrant. The palate shows richness and roundness, with flavors of blackberries and plums.
Winemaker's Notes
Situated on a semi-alluvial riverbed, with deep, mineral rich soils, this Malbecvineyard experiences slow and even ripening. As a result, it produces top-tierfruit characterized by impeccable equilibrium and a delightful, lively inherentacidity. Following manual harvesting, the grapes undergo a meticulous week-long sorting process as whole clusters, before being gently crushed andseparated from stems, finally finding their place within a stainless-steel tank.
The primary extraction occurs through a two-day cold soak, succeeded by agradual fermentation process. The skins continue to interact with the liquidafter fermentation, enhancing the aromatic profile. Once the natural malolacticfermentation concludes, the grapes are gently pressed until dry. Subsequently,the wine matures for 12 months in 33% new French oak barrels, 33% 2nd,3rdand 4th fill French, Hungarian and American barrels and 34% in a concretetank. This maturation is followed by racking and bottling in May 2023.
Serving Suggestion
Serve with roast leg of lamb, also great with matured cheese and preserves.
Varietal: 100% Malbec
ALC: 14.5% | pH: 3.55 | RS: 3.3 g/l | TA: 5.9 g/l
Awards
Signatures of Doolhof Malbec 2007 | Double Gold: Michelangelo Wine Awards 2009 Double Gold: Tri Nations 2009 National Winner: SA Terroir Wine Awards 2009 Gold: Decanter World Wine Awards |
Signatures of Doolhof Malbec 2008 | Gold: Decanter World Wine Awards |
Signatures of Doolhof Malbec 2009 | Gold: Michelangelo Wine Awards 2010 National Winner: SA Terroir Wine Awards 2011 Gold: Michelangelo Wine Awards 2011 |
Signatures of Doolhof Malbec 2010 | Top 100 winner: Top 100 SA Wines 2012 Best Value: Top 100 SA Wines 2012 National Winner: SA Terroir Wine Awards 2012 |
Signatures of Doolhof Malbec 2011 | Silver: Michelangelo Wine Awards 2013 |
Signatures of Doolhof Malbec 2014 | Top 20 SA wines for 2016 and best Malbec over 10 years: SAWi National Winner: SA Terroir Awards 2016 Best Single Vineyard Wine: SA Terroir Awards 2016 |
Signatures of Doolhof Malbec 2015 | Double Platinum: National Wine Challenge 2017 / Top 100 SA Wines Top 100 winner: National Wine Challenge 2017 / Top 100 SA Wines |
Signatures of Doolhof Malbec 2016 | 90 Points: Tim Atkin Report 2018 |
Signatures of Doolhof Malbec 2017 | 91 Points: Tim Atkin Report 2019 Regional Winner: Terroir Awards 2019 Best wine in region: Quest for the best 2019 |
Signatures of Doolhof Malbec 2018 | Double Platinum / Top 100 Winner: National Wine Challenge 2021 / Top 100 SA Wines 82.6 points: Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2021 Bronze 89 points: Decanter World Wine Awards 2021 SAWI: Platinum |
Signatures of Doolhof Malbec 2020 | 91 points: Decanter World Wine Awards 2022 90 points: IWSC 2022 Double Gold: IWSC 2022 90 points, Top 10 Niche: Trophy Wine Awards 2022 |