GOLD MEDAL and a score of 96 at the Decanter World Wine Awards (UK), Best in Class at the Trophy Wine Show (SA), Grand Gold Medal at Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (BE). Amazing accolades for the 2017 vintage of Cederberg Five Generations Cabernet Sauvignon in 2020 – or rather, as to be expected! And no doubt there will be more great reviews before the year is out. A statement Cab, crafted to last.

One of the Top 10 Cabernets in the SA Wine Classification, one of South Africa’s Top 100 wines overall and showcased in the Top Wine SA Hall of Fame. That it’s the favourite grape variety of proprietor-cellarmaster David Nieuwoudt is no wonder. He and the team are so good at it and the high-altitude mountain vineyards so well suited to it, that the ‘standard’ Cab is also widely recognised as a beauty of note – a gold medal (95/100) in Decanter for the 2017 and among the Top 20 in the SA Cab Classification, testifying to good reviews around the world over the past 10 years, at least.

There’s never been a bad vintage of the Five Generations, but there can be character differences dictated by Mother Nature. The year 2015 was a great one for Cape wine in general, and at Nieuwoudt’s vineyards the result was a big and bold ‘in-your-face’ wine. In comparison, 2017 was much cooler – slow-growing grapes leading to good tannin structure and a classy, more aromatic flagship.

CEDERBERG FIVE GENERATIONS CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2017
WO Cederberg. Trellised vines up to 16 years of age. Supplementary irrigation. Hand-harvesting. Cold soak for two days before inoculation. Malolactic fermentation completed in barrel. Matured for 18 months in 225L French oak. Only 18 barrels, 5600 bottles.
Alc 14.5 | RS 3.6 | TA 5.9 | pH 3.6
Winemaker’s Tasting Notes: A combination of well-integrated oak and fruit. Forest berries, blackcurrants with hints of chocolate and clove spice on the nose. A full-bodied wine showing great tannin structure with a velvety finish.
Maturation Potential: wine at its best between five and nine years after vintage, but will mature with interest for much longer.
Pairing Suggestions: beef steak (with a little fat), juicy lamb (not too rich), ostrich steak, beef liver or beef-dominated stews. Cheese: matured versions of Beaufort, Gouda, Cheddar, Double Gloucester, older Amsterdam and Stilton.
R550pb ex-cellar.