One of the most anticipated releases of the year has become a reality with the new vintage of the much-loved and widely-acclaimed Springfield Whole Berry Cabernet Sauvignon finally available.
The Springfield Estate is set in the heart of the mountain-ringed Robertson Valley. Owned and run by fourth-generation wine grower Abrie Bruwer, Springfield is a vibrant, innovative and closely family-run winery, with sister Jeanette joining her brother, in overseeing the marketing of Springfield wines, both locally and abroad. Nestled on the banks of the Breede Rivier, the lime-rich soils on the estate ranges from extremely rocky to clay with sandy soils next to the river banks, allowing Abrie to craft wines unique to its place of growth. The argument for terroir-specific wines gets a huge boost from the different examples of wines from Springfield, each made with great respect for the different micro-climates the grapes are grown in.
Springfield’s motto is : ‘from the grape into the bottle with care and passion’ and this is more than evident in their Whole Berry Cabernet Sauvignon. Year after year it is a sell out and has become anonymous for offering way more than its price tag suggest. The philosophy behind the Whole Berry Cabernet is to honour the ancient winemaking traditions of the Bruwer’s ancestors. Traditionally, in those days, grapes were hand picked, carried to the cellar in baskets and placed uncrushed in open tanks to ferment with natural yeasts in the wine – hence the name ‘Whole Berry’. There are no pumps or crushers in the Springfield wine cellar, having been designed on a gravity-flow system, allowing the grapes to undertake it’s journey into the bottle with the least possible interference. Like with all of Bruwer’s red wines it remains unfiltered and unfined before bottling, which ensures that the maximum flavour and complexity is derived from the perfectly ripe Cabernet grapes. After spending about a year in first and second fill French oak barrels, the wine is bottled and left to mature another year in the cellar. The resulting wine is one of velvety tannins and soft and supple characteristics making it ideal for early drinking. Your typical Cabernet traits are still very evident though, with blackberries and tobacco on the nose and just the slightest hints of green herbs and spiciness on the nose resulting in a wine as enjoyable on its own, as it is with gamey red meat dishes.
The Springfield Whole Berry Cabernet has been a favourite amongst wine lovers the world over, and its constant 4.5 star rating in the John Platter Guide is a great indication of this wines quality and track record.