First Lady Cabernet Sauvignon

First Lady Cabernet Sauvignon

First Lady Cabernet Sauvignon was Norma Ratcliffe who was (literally) the first lady winemaker to operate commercially in South Africa. Today, our CEO Christiane von Arnim carries the baton for career women everywhere. And by “baton”, we mean another bottle of this delectably juicy cab!

Classic nose of cassis, darkc hocolate, blue berries and blackcurrant. The palate is true to the varietal, cedarwood, pencil shavings and blackberries with a hint of dark chocolate. The fruit is supported well by smooth tannins, ready to enjoy now or age for the next three to five years.

Grapes are picked at optimal ripeness and transported to the cellar where they were de-stemmed into tank. The wines spent between 7 and 12 days on the skins depending on the tannin structure, with three to four pump overs per day and then pressed to undergo malolactic fermentation in tank. After completion the wine was aged for 12 months with various types of oak used,10% new, before blending, filtration and bottling.

Warwick Estate is a family-owned and run winery. Managing Director Michael Ratcliffe is the 3rd generation family member to oversee this high quality boutique operation. From 1771 till 1902, Warwick was known as the farm ‘De Goede Sukses’. After the Anglo Boer war ended in 1902, Colonel William Alexander Gordon, Commanding Officer of the Warwickshire regiment bought the historic farm. He renamed it ‘Warwick’ as a tribute to his regiment and the rest, as they say, is history. Stan Ratcliffe purchased Warwick on April 1st 1964 after an extensive search for the best ‘terroir’ in the Cape. Together with his wife Norma, they soon realized the potential of the extraordinary property and began planting Cabernet Sauvignon. The Cabernet Sauvignon vines produced high quality grapes, which were soon in demand from neighbouring wineries. Norma became more and more interested in the making of wine and began to study the subject. Soon a cellar was in place and Norma began producing her own handcrafted wines using the Warwick grapes. Warwick Estate has implemented an (environment friendly/biological) approach to produce top quality grapes each year. A few years ago the farm started to refrain from using pre-emergent herbicide in their vineyards.

The wine has a deep and intense ruby red colour. The bouquet reveals lots of red berries and sweet black cherries, complemented by sweet vanilla and chocolate oak background. The smooth ripe, round tannins make this wine easy to drink while still retaining a full body. The balanced acid creates a firm finish that is complemented by a lingering sweetness.

To find out more about the winery click here

To see our full range of Warwick Estate Wines go to the website by clicking here

First Lady Cabernet Sauvignon