The La Motte Cabernet Sauvignon and La Motte Millennium are two stalwarts in the wine collection of any red wine enthusiast.
Both wines echo the classic style of traditional Bordeaux claret and are acclaimed for their exceptional quality, maturation potential and affinity for the dinner table - especially with hearty and meaty winter fare.
Cellarmaster Edmund Terblanche shares his thoughts:
"La Motte Millennium is one of South Africa’s most successful Bordeaux-style blends. While usually Cabernet Sauvignon-based, we have concluded that our best combination for the 2017 La Motte Millennium was in the two natural blending partners, Merlot (44%) and Cabernet Franc (37%). Petit Verdot and Malbec make up the rest of the blend. Distinctive grapes from Walker Bay, Franschhoek and Stellenbosch make a unique contribution to the flavour and structure of the wine. Berries were hand-sorted and left on the lees to enhance extraction and body. Malolactic fermentation was partly in barrels and the different components were matured separately for 12 months in used 225-litre French oak barrels.
The nose is aromatic with Raspberry (from the Merlot), a slight herbaciousness (from the Cabernet Franc) and English toffee (from the oak). Malbec and Petit Verdot provide colour and a finish of sweet cinnamon spice. The palate is juicy with concentrated blueberry fruit and a fresh acidity.
With its intrinsic elegance, the La Motte Millennium matures beautifully and exceeds expectations, vintage after vintage.
The 2016 La Motte Cabernet Sauvignon is an elegant, typically South African style Cabernet Sauvignon. The varietal characteristics are the wine’s deep red colour, intense flavours of blackcurrant, violets and mint as well as nuances of plum.
50% of the grapes are from Stellenbosch bushvines, renowned for their quality and characteristic mint flavour, 30% from Franschhoek yielding pure berry fruit and 20% from the cool climate area of Bot River, known for good tannin structure and colour.
After a long maceration period, the wine was matured for 16 months in 300-litre French oak barrels, 33% of which were new. 8% Cinsaut was added, bringing some lightness to a style that is full-bodied, complex and intricate. Well balanced and with rounded tannins, the 2016 La Motte Cabernet Sauvignon has exceptional maturation potential. I would say, easily 10 years.
In a meat-eating country like South Africa, we need Cabernet. It is exceptional with red meat especially when cooked with thyme and rosemary."
