Ridgeback Ember Red Blend

Ridgeback Wines is situated in the northern part of the picturesque town of Paarl in the Western Cape, on the northern slopes of the magnificent Paarl Mountain. The farm extends over an area of 65 hectares. Their vineyards are amongst the finest in the Cape, and the winery, which overlooks a small dam, is home to an abundance of waterfowl which add to the beauty and peaceful ambience of this tranquil environment.
A total of 35 hectares are currently under vine with the potential to increase the capacity further. The farm has planted a wide variety of different cultivars. enabling their winemaker to produce an exciting array of blends and single varietal wines

The 3 red varieties were destemmed and berries crushed, only retaining approx 20% whole berry fraction onto the sorting table. Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre were fermented separately in open top stainless steel fermenters. The red wines were fermented at 24-28 degrees Celsius with commercial yeast strains suited to the varieties. The wines were removed from the skins before complete dryness in order to retain softness. The Viognier grapes were crushed, pressed and allowed to settle for 2 days at 10 degrees Celsius. The clear juice was then gravity fed to 400 liter French oak barrels and underwent natural ferment to dryness. The wine was aged for 3 months and stirred monthly to encourage the development of mid-palate and length, then blended with the red fractions. All red wines underwent MLF and 13 months of ageing in second and third fill barrels ensuring good wood/fruit integration. The wine was then blended and lightly filtered shortly before bottling..

Upfront juicy dark cherries, black pepper and liquorice with hints of violets and mineral earthiness complimented by a soft and juicy midpalate and a long savoury finish.