Tasting Notes: With all the hype for resurrected old vine projects and natural wines, David’s “Camino Africana” project seeks to kill 2 birds with one stone. This is the oldest Cab Franc vineyard in Stellenbosch – planted in 1955. The vineyard is in fairly poor condition and it’s upkeep and rejuvenation is constant and ongoing. The 5 tons of Cab Franc grapes (that’s all of it) were carefully sorted and lightly pressed into a 5 ton fermenter. After 3 days of cold soaking and allowing spontaneous fermentation to take place, pump overs occurred 3 times per day for 14 days. 10 full days of post ferment maceration was followed by a soft press and further 18 months maturation in new 300 litre Allier hogshead barrels. Bottled with minimal filtration and no fining to maintain the wine’s fine structure. This is as non-interventionist as he could manage. The fruit is pure and very expressive, and challenges the notion that this grape should be used for blending. We get 100 cases of 6 for the US – half the production.

Winemaker: David Finlayson

Variety: Cabernet Franc