{"title":"Catalogue","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"moment-of-silence-2024","title":"Moment of Silence 2024","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is an all out Wellington warm climate blend of 3 Chenin vineyards, Grenache blanc and Viognier.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt tastings I often get the question: \"How do you conceptualise new wines?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough normally a firm believer in strategic planning, when it comes to new wines, I plan NOT to plan. You can never force a wine, you just need to follow the road you're on. The journey normally starts with a friend, which typically leads to another friend, new areas and vineyards. Ultimately I end up with a wine that expresses the journey more than the actual destination, a combination of these people and their habitat.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe perfect example of such a wine is the \u003cstrong\u003eMoment of Silence\u003c\/strong\u003e. It's been a journey of epic proportion from the first vintage in 2007 until today - the release of the 2021 vintage. It all started off with a friend, Jan de Villiers, who took me to Wellington to meet a farmer. To be honest, I wasn't too keen on the area at first but by lunchtime that day I had completely changed my view. What made that meeting so significant in hindsight, was that I was unknowingly about to buy grapes from a farm originally owned by my direct family 7 generations ago and our meeting that day took place around the original Hauptfleisch dining room table owned by my family! It was only after 2 vintages of buying these grapes and making Moment of Silence, that my mom discovered this whilst doing a family tree - quite a confirmation don't you think?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBoberg\u003c\/strong\u003e: This vineyard grows on top of the Groenberg mountain in Wellington in decomposed granite. It was a neglected bush vine Chenin blanc vineyard that was recently resurrected and now being converted into an organically farmed parcel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHangbal\u003c\/strong\u003e: A super old bush-vine Chenin blanc that grows on the lower slopes on the northern side of the Groenberg. Works really well and I foresee a promising future for this component.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTaaiboslaagte\u003c\/strong\u003e: And the last 7% of the wine is made up of a conventionally farmed Viognier Vineyard.Fermentation took place spontaneously in various vessels - Concrete egg shaped tanks, Amphore and older French oak. Aged for 8 months on the lees blended and bottled.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Moment of Silence 2024","offer_id":46385741070502,"sku":"8040","price":250.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/BlankBottleMomentofSilence24.png?v=1753086314"},{"product_id":"the-empire-strikes-back-2018","title":"The Empire Strikes Back 2018","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am a huge fan of Swartland white blends.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe image of South African wines have changed dramatically over the past 10 years and the Swartland played a huge part in this. With the Swartland Revolution to back them, they started to gain international fame for their Rhone style white blends. They were the New Kids on the Block for South Africa. They are fun, young, energetic and unique.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI studied winemaking in Stellenbosch, the original EMPIRE of South African wine. Like most of us, I also like supporting the underdog, and in this case, when it came to white blends, the Empire became the underdog. I wanted to create a white blend based on Rhone varieties - a combination that could rival some of the Swartland white blends. So the empire is striking back to the Swartland with a blend of all Stellenbosch Verdelho, Pinot blanc, Sauvignon blanc, Roussanne, Marsanne, Chardonnay, Chenin blanc and Viognier. On the label it shows two sections. On the left part of the label you will see the half star - that was the logo for the Swartland Revolution, countered on the right-hand side of the label by stripes that represents an organised, traditional and conservative EMPIRE - the total opposite of the Swartland, striking towards the revolutionary star.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"The Empire Strikes Back 2018","offer_id":46385705943206,"sku":"4665","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-The-Empire-Strikes-Back-copy_63c941bd-5193-441c-a724-88b7cf3e49e0.png?v=1751094118"},{"product_id":"ultra-2018","title":"Ultra 2018","description":"\u003c!-- wp:heading --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eULTRA 2018 - an old bush vine, single vineyard Chenin blanc - the first vintage of a celebration - an outlet… something to make one's heart beat faster.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:heading --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI met this farmer 6 years ago. He farms in the Swartland, on the border of Darling. He comes across as an extremely traditional kind of farmer. He is a young guy, but lives out in the middle of nowhere. I’ve only ever seen him wearing blue overalls and kaki two-tone shirts. A year ago I was sitting in his kitchen having a cup of tea. He mentioned to me that he is really excited for the upcoming weekend. When I asked why he replied: “do you know the Ultrrrra?” (pronounced with the very typical Swartland rolling r-sound). I didn’t know what he was talking about so he started explaining… and to cut a long story short, he is a closet raver. None of his neighbouring farmers know this about him, but his way of blowing off steam and getting rid of some stress is to go to Cape Town, book himself and his wife into a hotel and dance the night away! Have you ever…\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn our modern day lives, stress is a reality and so many friends of mine struggle to get an outlet. And here we have a farmer, a traditional guy in the middle of nowhere with a passion\/an outlet - his way of coping with life. I think it’s brilliant.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd I felt that this is a story that needs to be told - So here you have it: ULTRA 2018 - an old bush vine, single vineyard Chenin blanc - the first vintage of a celebration - an outlet… something to make one's heart beat faster.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo I did the rave like scene sketch, grafiti-ed a DJ and got the farmer to dance - so you’ll find him in the crowd on the front label.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Ultra 2018","offer_id":46385706008742,"sku":"4668","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Ultra-2023.png?v=1751094208"},{"product_id":"tbc-name-to-be-confirmed-non-vintage","title":"TBC Name to be confirmed (non-vintage)","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI spent 4 days driving from Avignon all along the Rhône river through Hermitage, Crozes Hermitage, Condrieu to Côte Rôtie. It was fascinating and invigorating. Condrieu’s wines (or rather the ones I tasted), were mineral, fresh and lean with depth in character and complexity - and made from Viognier - a varietal we struggle with in South Africa.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSA Viognier are mostly over extracted, rich, sweet and floral. I have access to a really nice block of Viognier on the slopes of the Helderberg mountain facing Stellenbosch. I have been making wine from that block since 2012, but,up until today, have only used it in blends. So I decided to do an experiment. We picked the vineyard in two sections. The first picking on a relatively low sugar and a second picking as a ripe component. A combination of the two were aged for 2 years in old small barrel French Oak - 50% of the final blend. The other 50% was an early picking of the same vineyard the following year. In other words; the final wine is 50% early picking that spent one year in barrel (2018 vintage) and the other 50% a combination of early and late picking aged 2 years in barrel (2017 vintage).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd I had no name for the wine. You know, it does happen that sometimes the name and label of a wine just doesn’t happen when it should… My distributers pressured me to get the wine out and after a suggestion by one of the reps, the name became TBC - To Be Confirmed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe label: my youngest son had his 7th birthday party and wanted me to make him a leopard cake - in 3D of course… To shape a leopard body is easy, but a head of a leopard is massively difficult to do. So, I made a paper mache head of a leopard and painted it. And the label became the infamous leopard cake head.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"TBC Name to be confirmed (non-vintage)","offer_id":46385706074278,"sku":"4674","price":199.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-A-copy-e1569070564614_460e1f51-817c-4f60-b4ce-c1b0709e73ed.png?v=1751094070"},{"product_id":"b-bos-1-2018","title":"B-BOS-1 2018","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIf you translate Baardskeerdersbos into English, it means “Beard-Shavers-Bush”, named after a famous spider that lives in these parts of the country. This spider builds its nest from human hair…\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- wp:heading --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:heading --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy grandmother grew up on a farm near a town called Bredasdorp. It’s about 45 minutes drive from L’Agulhas, where the most Southern point of the African continent is situated. When she got married, she received a wedding gift from her parents - a plot of land right next to the ocean in L’Agulhas. She built a small wooden house with the money she received as wedding gifts (seems like the standard of wedding gifts has lowered significantly in the years since then…). It’s 75 years later and the wooden house called “T-nie-C” is now my mom’s and still fully operational as a family holiday house. This is our post-harvest, post-travel, post-bottling family hideaway and very close to our hearts. The place where the kids and Aneen and I reconnect with each other and ourselves, and also where I design most of my labels.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBecause of this, I’ve always wanted to produce a wine of origin Cape Agulhas. I had my eye on a few possible sites but it was a phone call from Caroline Rillema, owner of Caroline's Fine Wines (a wine shop in Cape Town), that was the start of an epic venture in this area. Caroline is a formidable force in the wine industry and she and her husband Ray, planted two vineyards on their holiday breakaway smallholding in a little town called Baardskeerdersbos. As the crow flies it is 47 km from our little house in L’Agulhas. If you translate Baardskeerdersbos into English, it means “Beard-Shavers-Bush”, named after a famous spider that lives in these parts of the country. This spider builds its nest from human hair… and the myth goes that when you go to bed at night the Baardskeerder spider will climb into your bed and shave your beard for the construction of his home. So I make wine from two different wines on Caroline’s property - B-BOS-1 and B-BOS-2.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eB-BOS 1: I've had two different bottlings of this wine - initially I only bottled a small bit to test the market, but when it sold out on my first tasting, I immediately went onto a second bottling. Please note - in the second bottling of B-BOS 1, the blend differs:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eB-BOS-1 - Lot number: LBBOS0119 is: 90% Sauvignon Blanc with 10% Semillon\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd B-BOS-1 - Lot number: LBBOS0419 is 50% Sauvignon blanc and 50% Semillon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd the second wine from her property is BBOS 2: a straight Semillon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"B-BOS-1 2018","offer_id":46385706139814,"sku":"4686","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-S1-copy-e1569079482347_d270a2e6-941d-45bf-93ea-726b39cab327.png?v=1751093222"},{"product_id":"b-bos-2-2018","title":"B-BOS 2 2018","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI’ve always wanted to produce a wine of origin Cape Agulhas. I had my eye on a few possible sites but it was a phone call from Caroline Rillema, owner of Caroline's Fine Wines (a wine shop in Cape Town), that was the start of an epic venture in this area.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- wp:heading --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:heading --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy grandmother grew up on a farm near a town called Bredasdorp. It’s about 45 minutes drive from L’Agulhas, where the most Southern point of the African continent is situated. When she got married, she received a wedding gift from her parents - a plot of land right next to the ocean in L’Agulhas. She built a small wooden house with the money she received as wedding gifts (seems like the standard of wedding gifts has lowered significantly in the years since then…). It’s 75 years later and the wooden house called “T-nie-C” is now my mom’s and still fully operational as a family holiday house. This is our post-harvest, post-travel, post-bottling family hideaway and very close to our hearts. The place where the kids and Aneen and I reconnect with each other and ourselves, and also where I design most of my labels.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBecause of this, I’ve always wanted to produce a wine of origin Cape Agulhas. I had my eye on a few possible sites but it was a phone call from Caroline Rillema, owner of Caroline's Fine Wines (a wine shop in Cape Town), that was the start of an epic venture in this area. Caroline is a formidable force in the wine industry and she and her husband Ray, planted two vineyards on their holiday breakaway smallholding in a little town called Baardskeerdersbos. As the crow flies it is 47 km from our little house in L’Agulhas. If you translate Baardskeerdersbos into English, it means “Beard-Shavers-Bush”, named after a famous spider that lives in these parts of the country. This spider builds its nest from human hair... and the myth goes that when you go to bed at night the Baardskeerder spider will climb into your bed and shave your beard for the construction of his home. So I make wine from two different wines on Caroline’s property - B-BOS-1 and B-BOS-2\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eB-BOS-1 is a blend of Sauvignon blanc and Semillon and B-BOS-2 is a straight Semillon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"B-BOS 2 2018","offer_id":46385706303654,"sku":"4687","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-S2-copy-e1569079469590_5ab604c1-d174-4e6a-80e8-75b01e1e89bc.png?v=1751093227"},{"product_id":"saint-rand-2018","title":"Saint Rand 2018","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBLANKBOTTLE Saint Rand 2018 - my first straight Pinotage\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack in 2015 an old varsity friend referred me to a farmer called Boetie van Reenen. Not long thereafter a farmer whom I buy grapes from, as well as a fellow winemaker, referred me to the same guy. So with 3 solid referrals, I met with this Darling farmer who apparently had some really interesting opportunities when it came to varietals like Cinsaut and Chenin. In year 1, I bought some Chenin from him. Then, in year 2 (2016), the Retirement@65 vineyard came on board and finally, in 2017, a Pinotage vineyard.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen it comes to reds, Pinotage is the first to ripen. Unfortunately, its early sweetness attract birds from the mountain and they feast on the grapes. In the past, the farmer had therefore been forced to pick the 37-year old vineyard early, on a low sugar, before the birds came. But that meant that the grapes were not ripe yet and could only be used for the making of rosé. To prevent the bird-fest, I then purchased some bird nets and the farmer covered the little bush vines with it - it worked.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBLANKBOTTLE Saint Rand 2018 - my first straight Pinotage. You all know the story of our recent trip to Marseille with our film Epileptic Inspiration. To solidify our memories and to keep us going until the awards ceremony on 14 October in Paris, I thought it good to name a wine after our adventure. Saint Rand is the registered name of our PTY Ltd. - Saint Rand Productions (tongue-in-cheek upper class name for our very humble but wonderful home town - the Strand). I appreciate the new lighter styles currently emerging in the marketplace, but deep down I like the heavier, old-style Pinotages way more. So with BLANKBOTTLE Saint Rand 2018, I aimed for something in between - not as heavy as the older styles and not as light as the modern versions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJust to clarify; the Pinotage in both B.O.E.T. 2017 and Saint Rand 2018 comes from the same vineyard in Darling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Saint Rand 2018","offer_id":46385706369190,"sku":"4712","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Saint-Rand-2018-copy-LR.png?v=1751094060"},{"product_id":"b-o-e-t-2017","title":"B.O.E.T. 2017","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFor those of you who don’t know, Pinotage is a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsaut (also known as Hermitage), hence the name Pino-tage..\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack in 2015 an old varsity friend referred me to a farmer called Boetie van Reenen. Not long thereafter a farmer whom I buy grapes from, as well as a fellow winemaker, referred me to the same guy. So with 3 solid referrals, I met with this Darling farmer who apparently had some really interesting opportunities when it came to varietals like Cinsaut and Chenin. In year 1, I bought some Chenin from him. Then, in year 2 (2016), the Retirement@65 vineyard came on board and finally, in 2017, a Pinotage vineyard.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 2017 was in barrel when we received the tragic news. Boetie had passed away after a fatal car crash. He was a keen fisherman and was on his way home from Ganzekraal. So today I’m releasing the BLANKBOTTLE B.O.E.T 2017 - mainly Pinotage with bits of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut, as a dedication to BOETIE. For those of you who don’t know, Pinotage is a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsaut (also known as Hermitage), hence the name Pino-tage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen it comes to reds, Pinotage is the first to ripen. Unfortunately, its early sweetness attract birds from the mountain and they feast on the grapes. In the past, the farmer had therefore been forced to pick the 37-year old vineyard early, on a low sugar, before the birds came. But that meant that the grapes were not ripe yet and could only be used for the making of rosé. To prevent the bird-fest, I then purchased some bird nets and the farmer covered the little bush vines with it - it worked.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJust to clarify; the Pinotage in both B.O.E.T. 2017 and Saint Rand 2018 comes from the same vineyard in Darling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"B.O.E.T. 2017","offer_id":46385706827942,"sku":"4713","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Boet-2017-copy-1-e1569138164493.png?v=1751093255"},{"product_id":"oppie-koppie-2017","title":"OPPIE-KOPPIE 2017","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShiraz and Cinsaut from the Voor-Paardeberg, Swartland and Breedekloof Back in 2014, I was walking through an organically-farmed Shiraz vineyard in the Voor-Paardeberg. It was close to brunchtime, so I picked a bunch of grapes and stripped the berries off the stem. I was left with a clean stem. I then ate the stem. Pure pepper spice!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt immediately triggered an idea: if I ferment the wine without removing the stems (a.k.a. whole bunch fermentation), chances were that I could possibly extract some of that exciting spice. So I chucked 33.33333% of the total volume of grapes into a fermentation vessel (stems and all) and crushed it with my feet. With the balance of the grapes, I removed the stems using a de-stemmer and filled the tank. All the grapes then underwent spontaneous fermentation. After 4 weeks, I pressed the grapes and the wine aged in barrel for a year. When the time came for label design, I did a pencil drawing of an old-fashioned film camera taking a photo of a grape-stem. I blackened the camera lens in such a way that only one third of the stem was exposed to the camera. I then called the wine 33.3333.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2015, the stems were super ripe and I decided to do 100% whole bunch fermentation. On the label I altered the sketch in order for the camera lens to have a 100% exposure to the stem.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2016, the stems were ripe, but not as ripe as the 2015 vintage, so I went for 70% exposure.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen it came to the 2017 vintage I decided that, in order for this wine to get to the next level, it needed more complexity. The only way to gain complexity is to add vineyards with flavour profiles that would enhance and add layers to the original wine. A little bit of Shiraz from the Swartland and a tad Cinsaut from the Breedekloof did the trick. Having had 80% whole cluster fermentation, I initially called the wine 80.0000 (referring to the percentage exposure to stems as in previous years), but this was confusing to my clients. I then changed the name to Oppie-Koppie, the name the farmer calls the vineyard - a 2017 Voor-Paardeberg Shiraz (my 4th vintage from this block of grapes). Northern Rhône-like in style, super spicy with nice grip. Ageing will only do this wine great but you can also drink it now.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"OPPIE-KOPPIE 2017","offer_id":46385706860710,"sku":"4714","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Oppie-Koppie-2017-copy-e1569073872788_acca7467-fda6-4aab-95b9-fc3722d1e394.png?v=1751093857"},{"product_id":"oorbegin-2018","title":"Oorbegin 2018","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWe made 1 barrel from the grapes it produced. So here you go - this vineyard’s first crop in 25 years - a straight Chenin blanc - OORBEGIN 2018 (directly translated it means “START-OVER”, referring to a new beginning for the vineyard.)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2 Years ago I received a phone call from a (very excited) good friend and viticulturist Jaco Engelbrecht. He was standing in the veld with one of his clients, Andre du Toit, who had just purchased a farm in the Voor-Paardeberg.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn their walk, they had just stumbled upon a lone vine. Upon further investigation they discovered more vines - growing on the forest floor, into trees etc. The interesting thing was that they seemed to be planted in rows - all pointing to the fact that at some stage this had been a commercial vineyard.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAndre, being the new owner, then phoned up the previous farmer. It then transpired that 40 years before the owner had planted that block of Chenin blanc with the goal of producing grapes for the closest big cooperative winery. He had farmed the vineyard successfully for 15 years, whereafter the crop declined and he had made the decision to stop farming the vineyard, as it hadn’t been financially viable anymore.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut instead of removing the vines, he had just left them there. They grew in the bushes for 25 years. He never pruned or harvested them - they were just completely abandoned, with no irrigation, growing into trees totally in the wild.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe reason for my friend Jaco’s call? They wanted to know if I'd be interested in buying the grapes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd so the project started. Jaco and Andre started by tidying up the vineyard and removing the plants between the vines that were still alive. The vines had not been pruned for 25 years and this resulted in no thick arms like you would get in commercially-farmed bush vine vineyards. They were thin and flimsy. After a very light pruning in winter, the first crop was ready in 2018. We made 1 barrel from the grapes it produced. So here you go - this vineyard’s first crop in 25 years - a straight Chenin blanc - OORBEGIN 2018 (directly translated it means “START-OVER”, referring to a new beginning for the vineyard.)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Oorbegin 2018","offer_id":46385706926246,"sku":"4718","price":199.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Oorbegin-2018-copy-e1569073859353.png?v=1751093839"},{"product_id":"open-your-mind-2018","title":"Open your mind 2018","description":"","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Open your mind 2018","offer_id":46385706991782,"sku":"4719","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Open-Your-Mind-2018-copy-e1569073899854_19dd3562-9095-40db-8d03-5be5ab4b6003.png?v=1751093845"},{"product_id":"wolf-alaser-2018","title":"Wolf Alaser 2018","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn short, when I bottled this wine, I absolutely hadn’t the faintest idea what was in this wine…\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWine that’s aged in barrel constantly lose a little bit of volume due to the wood absorbing wine as well as evaporation. We call this the “The Angel’s Share”. In order to prevent the barrel from having a huge headspace and subsequently getting exposure to oxygen, we constantly need to fill the barrels. Every month we select a topping barrel. We then fill all barrels with the selected topping barrel’s wine, often not using the whole barrel. The leftover wine then go to a tank and eventually move on to a barrel. From that barrel we will then top again and then fill up the barrel with something else. So as you can see, this barrel has a life of its own and in 2018 this topping barrel was accidently of outstanding quality - and unfortunately we had no idea how we achieved that.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo I decided that we should bottle this wine on its own. A total production of 280 bottles.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe label: My son watched a documentary on the artist Banksy. He got inspired... - drew a picture of our pet rabbit called Brigitte and made a cut-out stencil of it. He then spray- painted it on a wall in our living room. Needing a mysterious Banksy-like signature, he named himself “The Wolf Alaser”... again I pay him per bottle sold. And no, I am not going to disclose the amount he gets.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter the success of Wolf Alaser I went on a hunt and digged through old notes and harvest sheets to try and figure out the possible components. We discovered scribbles and hints so we have a vague idea of what happened. I will give it my best shot when making up the 2019 blends. Watch this space... \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Wolf Alaser 2018","offer_id":46385707057318,"sku":"4720","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Wolf-Alaser-2017-copy-e1569079506928.png?v=1748005175"},{"product_id":"empire-2017","title":"EMPIRE 2017","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEMPIRE 2017 - not striking back but just being himself. With Petit Verdot as driver and bits of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet franc to compliment.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday I'm standing up to defend the EMPIRE - STELLENBOSCH. Silently, she’s been re-aligning her troops and now strikes back at the Swartland to establish herself yet again as a formidable force.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJust for the record - I am a huge fan of Swartland white blends. The image of South African wines has changed dramatically over the past 10 years and the Swartland played a huge part in this. Their wines, especially the Rhône-style white blends are top notch. They are fun, young, energetic and unique and started to gain international fame.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStellenbosch, however (where I studied winemaking), is the original EMPIRE of South African wine. Like most of us, I like to support the underdog, and in the case of white blends, the Empire became exactly that. So I created a white blend based on similar varieties - a combination that could give some of the Swartland white blends a go. The empire is therefore now striking back at the Swartland with a blend of an all-Stellenbosch Verdelho, Pinot blanc, Sauvignon blanc, Roussanne, Marsanne, Chardonnay, Chenin blanc and Viognier. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe label consists of two sections. On the left part of the label you will see a half star, which was the logo for the \"Swartland Revolution\". And on the right - stripes that represent a traditional and conservative EMPIRE.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd the red brother of Empire Strikes Back is EMPIRE 2017 - not striking back but just being himself. With Petit Verdot as driver and bits of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet franc to compliment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"EMPIRE 2017","offer_id":46385707221158,"sku":"4721","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Empire_dd072084-5817-49ea-8012-4882b28f66d7.png?v=1751093385"},{"product_id":"my-eie-stofpad-2017","title":"My eie Stofpad 2017","description":"\u003cp\u003eA blend of Cabernet franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec from the Helderberg Stellenbosch. I still have to write the story, but in the mean while I did a voice recording for you. See below!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"My eie Stofpad 2017","offer_id":46385707286694,"sku":"4722","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-My-Eie-Stofpad-2017-copy-e1569073886978.png?v=1751093766"},{"product_id":"b-i-g-cabernet-sauvignon-2017","title":"B.I.G. Cabernet Sauvignon 2017","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis wine represents a Cabernet Sauvignon from South Africa. The first vintage of this wine was in 2015 and it had six vineyards in the final blend, all Cabernet Sauvignons from different heights above sea level.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnfortunately, in 2017, I lost two of the (quite crucial) vineyards due to smoke taint when there were veld fires. At the time of the fire, the berries were in a late stage of development. The smoke got stuck in the wax layer of the grape berry and during fermentation those flavours were extracted and cemented into the wine. Both these wines from the Ceres Plateau tasted like burnt, bitter bacon and we had to throw everything away eventually. We also lost the HBK Vineyard and replaced that with a new Vineyard on the slopes of the Helderberg called LAN. So I adjusted the original 2015 label accordingly. The label shows a landscape and identifies all the vineyards that went into the final wine. Each year I adjust the label accordingly. You'll see the flames added to the artwork of the 2017 label consuming the two Vineyards at 750 m above sea level. The final blend: UNITY, LAN, TOOLBAG, and Mr. VILLA.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe story of B.I.G\u003c\/strong\u003e - as was written for the 2015 vintage\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Swartland Revolution was exactly that: a revolution initiated by Swartland farmers which turned the premium wine market upside down. Suddenly premium higher-priced Bordeaux-style Stellenbosch wines had to share the stage with premium Rhone-style Swartland blends. And so it happened then, that for the past 8 years, the media stuck Cabernet Sauvignon in a dark and dusty corner - not “cool” enough.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs some of you might know, at the moment I make wine from 35 varieties. Harvest 2015, I thought it a bright idea to do something for the neglected, fallen-from-grace Cabernet Sauvignon. I subsequently identified 6 Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards from 3 different wine areas, at 5 different heights above sea level: 2 near Somerset West (at 116 and 215 m), 2 on the outskirts of Tulbagh (both at 310 m) and 2 in the Witzenberg’s Koue Bokkeveld (at 734 and 755m).\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen I first started speaking to the masters of Cabernet here at the Southernmost tip of Africa, the first thing mentioned by most was the dreaded Greenness in Cabernet Sauvignon - a very unwelcome herbaceous \/ vegetative character. This develops due to high levels of Pyrazines present in the wine - something that's determined by the ripeness level of the grapes. The longer the grape bunches get exposed to sunlight during the growing period, the less Pyrazines - resulting in less greenness in the end product - reducing herbaceousness and amplifying fruit.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere in South Africa we have a unique situation: although we have plenty of sunshine, it is hot and dry. In most instances, by the time the grapes are ripe for picking, it hasn't had long enough sun exposure for the Pyrazines to get to an acceptable level. And if you leave it on the vine for longer, the sugar level gets too high. These sugars are then transformed during fermentation into alcohol resulting in rather high alcoholic wines - commonly tagged as “overripe wines”.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo in general, Cabernet creators are in fact chased by the Green Monster. Defended by some, feared by most. What confuses me, though, is that one could argue that this greenness is a stylistic characteristic of wines closer to the ocean, which makes it acceptable. Or does it? Where the exact point lies where herbaceousness turns into greenness - I am not sure.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat’s why I decided to make Cabernets from more than one area and different height levels. I chose the following 6 vineyards:\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUNITY\u003c\/strong\u003e: Somerset West - 116 meters above sea-level.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHBK\u003c\/strong\u003e: Helderberg mountain - 215 meters above sea-level\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTOOLBAG\u003c\/strong\u003e: Tulbagh - 310 meters above sea-level\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMr VILLA\u003c\/strong\u003e: Tulbagh - 310 meters above sea-level\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBUT WHY?\u003c\/strong\u003e: Ceres Plateau - 734 meters above sea-level\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLEAVING THE TABLE:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ceres Plateau - 755 meters above sea-level\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe made them all separately and aged them all in French oak for one and a half years - picked mainly when we thought the grapes tasted best. Interestingly enough, the first vineyard on the Helderberg ripened in late February whereas the last vineyard in Ceres Plateau (about 3 hours drive from the first) reached optimum ripeness on 22 April - 100 days into harvest and also the very last grapes to hit the cellar.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI assumed that UNITY and HBK would be more herbaceous in character, growing so close to the ocean and at a lower sea level. We picked UNITY at a general ripeness level, keeping in mind that we wanted to end up with a balanced wine. HBK, on the other hand, we picked completely ripe.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith the 2 Tulbagh components, we picked the same vineyard on the same day. We made TOOLBAG the way we usually make our wines. No additions like yeast, enzymes etc. Au Naturel. We left the wine on the skins for 3 weeks after fermentation, pressed into old oak barrels. With Mr VILLA, on the other hand, we manipulated the winemaking process by adding a bit of acid, enzymes to extract colour, 2 strains of specific yeast cultures, a limited time on the skins and aged in the newest oak we had in the cellar.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBUT WHY grows at 734 meters above sea-level and I was concerned that ripening would be a challenge. My initial thoughts were that the wines would be green. BUT WHY grows on sandy soils whereas LEAVING THE TABLE grows on rocky clay soils, at the highest elevation of them all. What we did not realize at the time was that the site’s radiation levels (sunlight) were off-the-charts high and the average temperature is low during summer. The grapes could therefore stay on the vines much longer, absorbing massive amounts of sunlight, whilst growing in maturity and getting rid of greenness. Resulting in ripe grapes with lower sugar levels. Sandy soils are also famous for producing more elegant wines…\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo really get a true representation of a South African Cabernet Sauvignon, we then made a blend of all 6 wines. Not in equal percentages of the components, but rather a carefully worked out blend in order to get the best of them all together. We named it the B.I.G. Cabernet Sauvignon 2015. We then also decided to bottle them all separately as single vineyard bottlings - each a wine in their own right. So you can now buy a mixed case of 6 bottles where you can taste each component separately plus a bottle of B.I.G Cabernet Sauvignon as the blend of them all. Cabernet Sauvignon from sea-level all the way to 755 meters above sea-level.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"B.I.G. Cabernet Sauvignon 2017","offer_id":46385707384998,"sku":"4723","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-BIG-2017-copy-e1569070493182_5554f253-f578-499f-82db-3a55dcc52536.png?v=1751093252"},{"product_id":"air-carrots-of-pagnol-2018","title":"Air Carrots of Pagnol 2018","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI know this is a more lengthy release than usual, but this is one story that needs to be told in detail - it’s one of those that, looking back, I can just shake my head in disbelief at how it turned out. \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan id=\"bb_quick_overview\"\u003eIt all started with a wine called Manon des Sources. In short - It is a blend of Grenache blanc from Paarl\/Swartland and Wellington, with a dash of Grenache Gris.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eManon des Sources - a 2010\u003c\/strong\u003e (yes a 9 year old!) bottle aged white blend of Weisser Riesling, Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the Elgin Valley, as a passion project, the owner of a mainly fruit farm planted 3 vineyards - Weisser Riesling Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2012 I took over the grapes from the previous buyer and made my DOC - a white blend of Weisser Riesling, Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc - a wine which represents this little mountainous outcrop. The soil varies immensely from reddish sandstone to granite and clay. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter bottling my version (DOC 2012)  the owner of the farm asked me if I could bottle a version of the same wine for him for his private consumption or to sell to his friends. Fast forward 7 years and he never got round to selling a bottle. So I bought it all back. I released it and it sold out in a flash. I mean, where do you find a 7-year old bottle-aged white from South Africa? Andre then told me that he had more. The previous buyer of the grapes had also made a white blend for him. A 2010! A dense, rich but fresh 9 year old white wine. What an experience! To taste a 2010 Weisser Riesling blend from South Africa is priceless.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“But isn't it way too risky to name a wine Manon des Sources?” my wife asked me. Of course she was right. It’s a brand name owned by somebody somewhere, but the chances of me, here at the tip of Africa with a small batch of wine registering on their radar was very slim. So slim that I was willing to take the risk… \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eManon des Sources (Manon of the Spring) is a 1966 two-volume novel by Marcel Pagnol and tells the story of a lady living in a small village on the outskirts of Marseille. It's a very famous story and they subsequently made 2 films about the book. I would never have known about the book if it wasn’t for my Swiss friend, Eric, who started calling our daughter, Alexa, Manon des Sources. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlexa and the main character looked so alike: you see, for the first six years of Alexa’s life she did not like to have any fabric in contact with her skin. So my mother-in-law started making these long dresses of very thin soft material. She would wear one dress for about 6 months (day and night), then some nights she’d allow us to wash it and we had to make sure it’s ready for the next morning. Once that particular dress was completely worn out, full of holes, we had to get her into a new one - which was a nightmare to adjust to. She also never combed her hair and never wore shoes. In short: Alexa looked exactly like the lead actress in Manon des Sources.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter this particular wine had been bottled, it was Alexa’s turn to design a label (they all get a turn to design a label and I pay them per bottle sold) and she subsequently made a self-sketch with her in her dress and wild hair flying all over. The name of the wine could not have been anything other than Manon des Sources.\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAir Carrots of Pagnol 2018\u003c\/strong\u003e - a blend of Grenache blanc from Paarl\/Swartland and Wellington, with a dash of Grenache Gris\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFast forward 2 years and we’re in Marseilles, as a documentary about BLANKBOTTLE had been selected as a finalist in a French Film Festival. The evening after our film was screened, we were invited to dinner with all the judges. My French-speaking Swiss friend, Eric, (the guy who nicknamed my daughter as Manon) came all the way from Geneva to join us for the screening - which was fantastic as we really struggled to communicate with the French! On our way from the museum where the film Festival took place, Eric proceeded to explain to them in French what BLANKBOTTLE is all about. He also mentioned that I make a wine called Manon des Sources. They stopped in their tracks... one of the judges immediately looked a bit more interested...turns out he is Nicola Pagnol - the grandson of Marcel Pagnol, the writer of the original story Manon des Sources. He is also the owner of the brand Manon des Sources and his full-time occupation is to run the brand. He owns the rights to all the books, film, souvenirs etc and turns out it is a huge business in Marseille. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo what are the chances? Here’s Eric, who introduced me to the Manon des Sources name, explaining the intricacies of BLANKBOTTLE to Nicola Pagnol himself? Just shows - my wife is always right!\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe label of this wine is a map of Marseille, the roots of the Pagnol family.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGrenache prefers warmer climates, but the building of layers into Grenache is something that I enjoy immensely. This wine was taken to tank and fermented in old French Oak barrels. But then, to add some extra kick in the wine, we also allowed a few days of skin contact on a portion of the grapes. In future I think we will add even more of these components, giving the wine extra grip and texture. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Air Carrots of Pagnol 2018","offer_id":46385707417766,"sku":"4726","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Air-Carrots-of-Pagnol-e1569070639517_f9e1f0d9-5ea6-45e8-936c-5adce4e92a13.png?v=1751093201"},{"product_id":"boberg-2018","title":"BOBERG 2018","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBoberg is now organically certified. A straight Wellington old vine Chenin blanc.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2015 was the first year that I bought the grapes from this Vineyard. The Farmer calls the vineyard BOBERG, which means “on top of the Mountain”.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was a neglected little vineyard, old bush vines with no irrigation. The farmer identified it as a site with potential and started with a restoration process. The vineyard grows in decomposed granitic soil in Wellington. The site is cooler than the others in the area. I used it in 2015 as a component in the Moment of Silence blend. The vineyard seemed to produce a high acid even though it grows in extreme conditions. In 2016 and 2017 the farmer decided to move farming practises from conventional farming to organic. Boberg is now organically certified. He also installed irrigation to enable it to sustain heat waves during warm parts of summer. In 2018 we picked early, the grapes were ripe but the sugar low and the acid firm. The juice fermented spontaneously in old small French Oak barrels, it aged one year on the lees. The wine showed individuality and I decided to bottle this as a single vineyard wine within the BLANKBOTTLE portfolio.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut there is another reason why the vineyard is something special. Moment of Silence predominantly comes from a farm called Twyfeling. Boberg is situated on a farm right next to Twyfeling and literally looks onto the vineyards of Twyfeling. Now Twyfeling was owned by my direct family seven generations ago. So on the label it shows 7 generations with Boberg overlooking all seven generations of the Hauptfleisch family.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"BOBERG 2018","offer_id":46385707614374,"sku":"4727","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Boberg-copy.png?v=1751093301"},{"product_id":"nothing-to-declare-2016","title":"Nothing to Declare 2016","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis first vintage of this wine was in 2014. It was well-received (read what THE WORLD OF FINE WINE had to say). In 2015, I stuffed it up completely and sold all in bulk for “recycling”. In 2016, everything worked out and this is the result.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Story of Nothing to Declare:\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the olden days, before our borders were opened for regular business, some of our leading winemakers at the time travelled to wine producing areas they admired. They mostly focused on areas with similar climatical\/growing conditions to ours. Whenever they stumbled upon great wines made from varietals not grown in South Africa, they would try and get their hands on some clean plant material and (being of the less patient\/more dynamic type) simply smuggled these vines into the country.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey used various techniques, one of them being… tie it to your leg, drop your pants to cover it and walk through the NOTHING TO DECLARE section at the airport as if you have… NOTHING TO DECLARE - you know the feeling…\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBack in SA they would then reproduce and plant little vineyards, do trials on them and plant larger ones (to state the obvious: this was completely illegal, distributing diseases being the main risk). I, however, have seen first-hand that the type of farmer who went through all the effort to do this, is almost without fail completely passionate, super psyched-up, forward-thinking farmers\/winemakers - serious producers. So they would, without a doubt, bring in clean, great quality vines.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNothing to Declare is a tribute to these vine smugglers. Providing us, the new generation winemakers, the foundation to take this industry to new heights.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Label: I did a chalk drawing on the one side of one of the barrels - an image of vine cuttings tied to a man’s leg, about to be covered by his pants. After a few months, the image faded. To solidify the image, I engraved it into the wood like it was done in the olden days. So in February 2015, after bottling the first vintage, I needed a label. I bought printing ink and applied it to the surface of the carved image. I then placed a large piece of paper on it and made a print, which became the main image for the label for NOTHING TO DECLARE. The image captures the essence and spirit of the true origin of many of our leading grape varietals, Chardonnay being the most well known one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Nothing to Declare 2016","offer_id":46385707679910,"sku":"4740","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Nothing-to-Declare-copy-new_b19e6322-0699-4e8d-8ee0-bcb8b56f6dfb.png?v=1751093809"},{"product_id":"69-999999-2016","title":"69.999999 2016","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBottled exclusively in MAGNUMS - a 2016 Voor-Paardeberg Syrah (my 3rd vintage from this block of grapes). Northern Rhône like is style, super spicy with nice grip. Ageing will only do this wine great but you can also drink it now. I bottled all in 1.5 liter Magnums. Why in Magnums? I'm not completely sure - it was as if the personality of the wine demanded huge bottles - And if I have to choose my favourite wine from the cellar - 69.9999 2016 would be in second place...\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn wine, the ultimate next-level feeling of generosity for me, must be pouring wine to my friends from a Magnum - double bottle - 1.5 liter. So herewith the release of a wine called 69.99999 - Bottled exclusively in MAGNUMS - a 2016 Voor-Paardeberg Syrah (my 3rd vintage from this block of grapes)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2014, I was walking through an organically farmed Syrah vineyard in the Voor-Paardeberg. It was close to brunch time so I picked a bunch of grapes and stripped the berries off the stem. I was left with a clean stem and my lunchbox full of berries. I then ate the stem. Pure pepper spice! So my thoughts were: if I ferment the wine without removing the stems (a.k.a. whole bunch fermentation), chances were that I could possibly extract some of that exciting spice. So I chucked 33.33333% of the total volume of grapes into a fermentation vessel and crushed it with my feet. With the balance of the grapes, I removed the stems using a de-stemmer and filled the tank. All the grapes then underwent spontaneous fermentation. After 4 weeks, I pressed the grapes and the wine aged in barrel for a year. When the time came for label design, I did a pencil drawing of an old-fashioned film camera taking a photo of a grape-stem. I blacked the camera lens in such a way that only one third of the stem was exposed to the camera. I then called the wine 33.3333.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2015, the stems were super ripe and I decided to do 100% whole bunch fermentation. On the label I altered the sketch in order for the camera lens to have a 100% exposure to the stem.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen, for this wine (the 2016 vintage), the stems were ripe, but not as ripe as the 2015 vintage, so I went for a 70% exposure. A close friend of mine has a wine called Seventy, so couldn't go there. I then decided to call my wine 69.99999. Again I changed the label, in order for the stem to have a 69.9999% exposure to the lens.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe wine is Northern Rhône like is style, super spicy with nice grip. Ageing will only do this wine great but you can also drink it now. I bottled all in 1.5 liter Magnums. Why in Magnums? I'm not completely sure - it was as if the personality of the wine demanded huge bottles - And if I have to choose my favourite wine from the cellar - 69.9999 2016 would be in second place…\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"69.999999 2016","offer_id":46385707778214,"sku":"4744","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-6999-copy-e1569429632815.png?v=1751093174"},{"product_id":"hbk-2015","title":"HBK 2015","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHBK: Helderberg mountain - 215 meters above sea-level - Cabernet Sauvignon B.I.G. Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 - a blend of 6 Cabernet vineyards, from 3 areas, vineyard sites ranging from 116 meters above sea level to 755m. I then also bottled all the components that went into B.I.G. separately - UNITY, HBK, TOOLBAG, Mr. VILLA, But Why? And LEAVING THE TABLE. So you can now buy the South African red blend B.I.G. 2015 and then also taste through its components experiencing the effect that height above sea level and proximity towards the ocean have on Cabernet Sauvignon. - This is the mixed elevation case.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday I am releasing 7 new wines: The main one is the B.I.G. Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 - a blend of 6 Cabernet vineyards, from 3 areas, vineyard sites ranging from 116 meters above sea level to 755m. I then also bottled all the components that went into B.I.G. separately - UNITY, HBK, TOOLBAG, Mr. VILLA, But Why? And LEAVING THE TABLE. So you can now buy the South African red blend B.I.G. 2015 and then also taste through its components experiencing the effect that height above sea level and proximity towards the ocean have on Cabernet Sauvignon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Swartland Revolution was exactly that: a revolution initiated by Swartland farmers which turned the premium wine market upside down. Suddenly premium higher-priced Bordeaux-style Stellenbosch wines had to share the stage with premium Rhone-style Swartland blends. And so it happened then, that for the past 8 years, the media stuck Cabernet Sauvignon in a dark and dusty corner - not “cool” enough.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs some of you might know, at the moment I make wine from 35 varieties. Harvest 2015, I thought it a bright idea to do something for the neglected, fallen-from-grace Cabernet Sauvignon. I subsequently identified 6 Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards from 3 different wine areas, at 5 different heights above sea level: 2 near Somerset West (at 116 and 215 m), 2 on the outskirts of Tulbagh (both at 310 m) and 2 in the Witzenberg’s Koue Bokkeveld (at 734 and 755m).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen I first started speaking to the masters of Cabernet here at the Southernmost tip of Africa, the first thing mentioned by most was the dreaded Greenness in Cabernet Sauvignon - a very unwelcome herbaceous \/ vegetative character. This develops due to high levels of Pyrazines\u003cbr\u003epresent in the wine - something that's determined by the ripeness level of the grapes. The longer the grape bunches get exposed to sunlight during the growing period, the less Pyrazines - resulting in less greenness in the end product - reducing herbaceousness and amplifying fruit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere in South Africa we have a unique situation: although we have plenty of sunshine, it is hot and dry. In most instances, by the time the grapes are ripe for picking, it hasn't had long enough sun exposure for the Pyrazines to get to an acceptable level. And if you leave it on the vine for longer, the sugar level gets too high. These sugars are then transformed during fermentation into alcohol resulting in rather high alcoholic wines - commonly tagged as “overripe wines”.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo in general, Cabernet creators are in fact chased by the Green Monster. Defended by some, feared by most. What confuses me, though, is that one could argue that this greenness is a stylistic characteristic of wines closer to the ocean, which makes it acceptable. Or does it? Where the exact point lies where herbaceousness turns into greenness - I am not sure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat’s why I decided to make Cabernets from more than one area and different height levels. I chose the following 6 vineyards:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUNITY: Somerset West - 116 meters above sea-level.\u003cbr\u003eHBK: Helderberg mountain - 215 meters above sea-level\u003cbr\u003eTOOLBAG: Tulbagh - 310 meters above sea-level\u003cbr\u003eMr VILLA: Tulbagh - 310 meters above sea-level\u003cbr\u003eBUT WHY?: Ceres Plateau - 734 meters above sea-level\u003cbr\u003eLEAVING THE TABLE: Ceres Plateau - 755 meters above sea-level\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe made them all separately and aged them all in French oak for one and a half years - picked mainly when we thought the grapes tasted best. Interestingly enough, the first vineyard on the Helderberg ripened in late February whereas the last vineyard in Ceres Plateau (about 3 hours drive from the first) reached optimum ripeness on 22 April - 100 days into harvest and also the very last grapes to hit the cellar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI assumed that UNITY and HBK would be more herbaceous in character, growing so close to the ocean and at a lower sea level. We picked UNITY at a general ripeness level, keeping in mind that we wanted to end up with a balanced wine. HBK, on the other hand, we picked completely ripe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith the 2 Tulbagh components, we picked the same vineyard on the same day. We made TOOLBAG the way we usually make our wines. No additions like yeast, enzymes etc. Au Naturel. We left the wine on the skins for 3 weeks after fermentation, pressed into old oak barrels. With Mr VILLA, on the other hand, we manipulated the winemaking process by adding a bit of acid, enzymes to extract colour, 2 strains of specific yeast cultures, a limited time on the skins and aged in the newest oak we had in the cellar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBUT WHY grows at 734 meters above sea-level and I was concerned that ripening would be a challenge. My initial thoughts were that the wines would be green. BUT WHY grows on sandy soils whereas LEAVING THE TABLE grows on rocky clay soils, at the highest elevation of them all. What we did not realize at the time was that the site’s radiation levels (sunlight) were off-the-charts high and the average temperature is low during summer. The grapes could therefore stay on the vines much longer, absorbing massive amounts of sunlight, whilst growing in maturity and getting rid of greenness. Resulting in ripe grapes with lower sugar levels. Sandy soils are also famous for producing more elegant wines…\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo really get a true representation of a South African Cabernet Sauvignon, we then made a blend of all 6 wines. Not in equal percentages of the components, but rather a carefully worked out blend in order to get the best of them all together. We named it the B.I.G. Cabernet Sauvignon 2015. We then also decided to bottle them all separately as single vineyard bottlings - each a wine in their own right. So you can now buy a mixed case of 6 bottles where you can taste each component separately plus a bottle of B.I.G Cabernet Sauvignon as the blend of them all. Cabernet Sauvignon from sea-level all the way to 755 meters above sea-level.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"HBK 2015","offer_id":46385707843750,"sku":"4746","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-HBK.png?v=1751093482"},{"product_id":"unity-2015","title":"Unity 2015","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMAGNUM B.I.G. Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 (1.5L bottle) - a blend of 6 Cabernet vineyards, from 3 areas, vineyard sites ranging from 116 meters above sea level to 755m. I then also bottled all the components that went into B.I.G. separately - UNITY, HBK, TOOLBAG, Mr. VILLA, But Why? And LEAVING THE TABLE. So you can now buy the South African red blend B.I.G. 2015 and then also taste through its components experiencing the effect that height above sea level and proximity towards the ocean have on Cabernet Sauvignon. - This is the mixed elevation case.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\n\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday I am releasing 7 new wines: The main one is the B.I.G. Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 - a blend of 6 Cabernet vineyards, from 3 areas, vineyard sites ranging from 116 meters above sea level to 755m. I then also bottled all the components that went into B.I.G. separately - UNITY, HBK, TOOLBAG, Mr. VILLA, But Why? And LEAVING THE TABLE. So you can now buy the South African red blend B.I.G. 2015 and then also taste through its components experiencing the effect that height above sea level and proximity towards the ocean have on Cabernet Sauvignon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\n\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\n\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Swartland Revolution was exactly that: a revolution initiated by Swartland farmers which turned the premium wine market upside down. Suddenly premium higher-priced Bordeaux-style Stellenbosch wines had to share the stage with premium Rhone-style Swartland blends. And so it happened then, that for the past 8 years, the media stuck Cabernet Sauvignon in a dark and dusty corner - not “cool” enough.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\n\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs some of you might know, at the moment I make wine from 35 varieties. Harvest 2015, I thought it a bright idea to do something for the neglected, fallen-from-grace Cabernet Sauvignon. I subsequently identified 6 Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards from 3 different wine areas, at 5 different heights above sea level: 2 near Somerset West (at 116 and 215 m), 2 on the outskirts of Tulbagh (both at 310 m) and 2 in the Witzenberg’s Koue Bokkeveld (at 734 and 755m).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\n\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen I first started speaking to the masters of Cabernet here at the Southernmost tip of Africa, the first thing mentioned by most was the dreaded Greenness in Cabernet Sauvignon - a very unwelcome herbaceous \/ vegetative character. This develops due to high levels of Pyrazines\u003cbr\u003e\npresent in the wine - something that's determined by the ripeness level of the grapes. The longer the grape bunches get exposed to sunlight during the growing period, the less Pyrazines - resulting in less greenness in the end product - reducing herbaceousness and amplifying fruit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\n\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere in South Africa we have a unique situation: although we have plenty of sunshine, it is hot and dry. In most instances, by the time the grapes are ripe for picking, it hasn't had long enough sun exposure for the Pyrazines to get to an acceptable level. And if you leave it on the vine for longer, the sugar level gets too high. These sugars are then transformed during fermentation into alcohol resulting in rather high alcoholic wines - commonly tagged as “overripe wines”.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\n\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo in general, Cabernet creators are in fact chased by the Green Monster. Defended by some, feared by most. What confuses me, though, is that one could argue that this greenness is a stylistic characteristic of wines closer to the ocean, which makes it acceptable. Or does it? Where the exact point lies where herbaceousness turns into greenness - I am not sure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\n\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat’s why I decided to make Cabernets from more than one area and different height levels. I chose the following 6 vineyards:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\n\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUNITY: Somerset West - 116 meters above sea-level.\u003cbr\u003e\nHBK: Helderberg mountain - 215 meters above sea-level\u003cbr\u003e\nTOOLBAG: Tulbagh - 310 meters above sea-level\u003cbr\u003e\nMr VILLA: Tulbagh - 310 meters above sea-level\u003cbr\u003e\nBUT WHY?: Ceres Plateau - 734 meters above sea-level\u003cbr\u003e\nLEAVING THE TABLE: Ceres Plateau - 755 meters above sea-level\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\n\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe made them all separately and aged them all in French oak for one and a half years - picked mainly when we thought the grapes tasted best. Interestingly enough, the first vineyard on the Helderberg ripened in late February whereas the last vineyard in Ceres Plateau (about 3 hours drive from the first) reached optimum ripeness on 22 April - 100 days into harvest and also the very last grapes to hit the cellar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\n\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI assumed that UNITY and HBK would be more herbaceous in character, growing so close to the ocean and at a lower sea level. We picked UNITY at a general ripeness level, keeping in mind that we wanted to end up with a balanced wine. HBK, on the other hand, we picked completely ripe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\n\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith the 2 Tulbagh components, we picked the same vineyard on the same day. We made TOOLBAG the way we usually make our wines. No additions like yeast, enzymes etc. Au Naturel. We left the wine on the skins for 3 weeks after fermentation, pressed into old oak barrels. With Mr VILLA, on the other hand, we manipulated the winemaking process by adding a bit of acid, enzymes to extract colour, 2 strains of specific yeast cultures, a limited time on the skins and aged in the newest oak we had in the cellar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\n\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBUT WHY grows at 734 meters above sea-level and I was concerned that ripening would be a challenge. My initial thoughts were that the wines would be green. BUT WHY grows on sandy soils whereas LEAVING THE TABLE grows on rocky clay soils, at the highest elevation of them all. What we did not realize at the time was that the site’s radiation levels (sunlight) were off-the-charts high and the average temperature is low during summer. The grapes could therefore stay on the vines much longer, absorbing massive amounts of sunlight, whilst growing in maturity and getting rid of greenness. Resulting in ripe grapes with lower sugar levels. Sandy soils are also famous for producing more elegant wines…\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\n\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo really get a true representation of a South African Cabernet Sauvignon, we then made a blend of all 6 wines. Not in equal percentages of the components, but rather a carefully worked out blend in order to get the best of them all together. We named it the B.I.G. Cabernet Sauvignon 2015. We then also decided to bottle them all separately as single vineyard bottlings - each a wine in their own right. So you can now buy a mixed case of 6 bottles where you can taste each component separately plus a bottle of B.I.G Cabernet Sauvignon as the blend of them all. Cabernet Sauvignon from sea-level all the way to 755 meters above sea-level.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Unity 2015","offer_id":46385708073126,"sku":"4748","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Unity.png?v=1751094212"},{"product_id":"mr-villa-2015","title":"MR. VILLA 2015","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMr VILLA: Tulbagh - 310 meters above sea-level - Cabernet Sauvignon B.I.G. Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 - a blend of 6 Cabernet vineyards, from 3 areas, vineyard sites ranging from 116 meters above sea level to 755m. I then also bottled all the components that went into B.I.G. separately - UNITY, HBK, TOOLBAG, Mr. VILLA, But Why? And LEAVING THE TABLE. So you can now buy the South African red blend B.I.G. 2015 and then also taste through its components experiencing the effect that height above sea level and proximity towards the ocean have on Cabernet Sauvignon. - This is the mixed elevation case.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday I am releasing 7 new wines: The main one is the B.I.G. Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 - a blend of 6 Cabernet vineyards, from 3 areas, vineyard sites ranging from 116 meters above sea level to 755m. I then also bottled all the components that went into B.I.G. separately - UNITY, HBK, TOOLBAG, Mr. VILLA, But Why? And LEAVING THE TABLE. So you can now buy the South African red blend B.I.G. 2015 and then also taste through its components experiencing the effect that height above sea level and proximity towards the ocean have on Cabernet Sauvignon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Swartland Revolution was exactly that: a revolution initiated by Swartland farmers which turned the premium wine market upside down. Suddenly premium higher-priced Bordeaux-style Stellenbosch wines had to share the stage with premium Rhone-style Swartland blends. And so it happened then, that for the past 8 years, the media stuck Cabernet Sauvignon in a dark and dusty corner - not “cool” enough.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs some of you might know, at the moment I make wine from 35 varieties. Harvest 2015, I thought it a bright idea to do something for the neglected, fallen-from-grace Cabernet Sauvignon. I subsequently identified 6 Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards from 3 different wine areas, at 5 different heights above sea level: 2 near Somerset West (at 116 and 215 m), 2 on the outskirts of Tulbagh (both at 310 m) and 2 in the Witzenberg’s Koue Bokkeveld (at 734 and 755m).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen I first started speaking to the masters of Cabernet here at the Southernmost tip of Africa, the first thing mentioned by most was the dreaded Greenness in Cabernet Sauvignon - a very unwelcome herbaceous \/ vegetative character. This develops due to high levels of Pyrazines\u003cbr\u003epresent in the wine - something that's determined by the ripeness level of the grapes. The longer the grape bunches get exposed to sunlight during the growing period, the less Pyrazines - resulting in less greenness in the end product - reducing herbaceousness and amplifying fruit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere in South Africa we have a unique situation: although we have plenty of sunshine, it is hot and dry. In most instances, by the time the grapes are ripe for picking, it hasn't had long enough sun exposure for the Pyrazines to get to an acceptable level. And if you leave it on the vine for longer, the sugar level gets too high. These sugars are then transformed during fermentation into alcohol resulting in rather high alcoholic wines - commonly tagged as “overripe wines”.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo in general, Cabernet creators are in fact chased by the Green Monster. Defended by some, feared by most. What confuses me, though, is that one could argue that this greenness is a stylistic characteristic of wines closer to the ocean, which makes it acceptable. Or does it? Where the exact point lies where herbaceousness turns into greenness - I am not sure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat’s why I decided to make Cabernets from more than one area and different height levels. I chose the following 6 vineyards:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUNITY: Somerset West - 116 meters above sea-level.\u003cbr\u003eHBK: Helderberg mountain - 215 meters above sea-level\u003cbr\u003eTOOLBAG: Tulbagh - 310 meters above sea-level\u003cbr\u003eMr VILLA: Tulbagh - 310 meters above sea-level\u003cbr\u003eBUT WHY?: Ceres Plateau - 734 meters above sea-level\u003cbr\u003eLEAVING THE TABLE: Ceres Plateau - 755 meters above sea-level\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe made them all separately and aged them all in French oak for one and a half years - picked mainly when we thought the grapes tasted best. Interestingly enough, the first vineyard on the Helderberg ripened in late February whereas the last vineyard in Ceres Plateau (about 3 hours drive from the first) reached optimum ripeness on 22 April - 100 days into harvest and also the very last grapes to hit the cellar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI assumed that UNITY and HBK would be more herbaceous in character, growing so close to the ocean and at a lower sea level. We picked UNITY at a general ripeness level, keeping in mind that we wanted to end up with a balanced wine. HBK, on the other hand, we picked completely ripe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith the 2 Tulbagh components, we picked the same vineyard on the same day. We made TOOLBAG the way we usually make our wines. No additions like yeast, enzymes etc. Au Naturel. We left the wine on the skins for 3 weeks after fermentation, pressed into old oak barrels. With Mr VILLA, on the other hand, we manipulated the winemaking process by adding a bit of acid, enzymes to extract colour, 2 strains of specific yeast cultures, a limited time on the skins and aged in the newest oak we had in the cellar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBUT WHY grows at 734 meters above sea-level and I was concerned that ripening would be a challenge. My initial thoughts were that the wines would be green. BUT WHY grows on sandy soils whereas LEAVING THE TABLE grows on rocky clay soils, at the highest elevation of them all. What we did not realize at the time was that the site’s radiation levels (sunlight) were off-the-charts high and the average temperature is low during summer. The grapes could therefore stay on the vines much longer, absorbing massive amounts of sunlight, whilst growing in maturity and getting rid of greenness. Resulting in ripe grapes with lower sugar levels. Sandy soils are also famous for producing more elegant wines…\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo really get a true representation of a South African Cabernet Sauvignon, we then made a blend of all 6 wines. Not in equal percentages of the components, but rather a carefully worked out blend in order to get the best of them all together. We named it the B.I.G. Cabernet Sauvignon 2015. We then also decided to bottle them all separately as single vineyard bottlings - each a wine in their own right. So you can now buy a mixed case of 6 bottles where you can taste each component separately plus a bottle of B.I.G Cabernet Sauvignon as the blend of them all. Cabernet Sauvignon from sea-level all the way to 755 meters above sea-level.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"MR. VILLA 2015","offer_id":46385708171430,"sku":"4750","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Mr-Villa.png?v=1751093759"},{"product_id":"toolbag-2015","title":"TOOLBAG 2015","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTOOLBAG: Tulbagh - 310 meters above sea-level - Cabernet Sauvignon B.I.G. Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 - a blend of 6 Cabernet vineyards, from 3 areas, vineyard sites ranging from 116 meters above sea level to 755m. I then also bottled all the components that went into B.I.G. separately - UNITY, HBK, TOOLBAG, Mr. VILLA, But Why? And LEAVING THE TABLE. So you can now buy the South African red blend B.I.G. 2015 and then also taste through its components experiencing the effect that height above sea level and proximity towards the ocean have on Cabernet Sauvignon. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday I am releasing 7 new wines: The main one is the B.I.G. Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 - a blend of 6 Cabernet vineyards, from 3 areas, vineyard sites ranging from 116 meters above sea level to 755m. I then also bottled all the components that went into B.I.G. separately - UNITY, HBK, TOOLBAG, Mr. VILLA, But Why? And LEAVING THE TABLE. So you can now buy the South African red blend B.I.G. 2015 and then also taste through its components experiencing the effect that height above sea level and proximity towards the ocean have on Cabernet Sauvignon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Swartland Revolution was exactly that: a revolution initiated by Swartland farmers which turned the premium wine market upside down. Suddenly premium higher-priced Bordeaux-style Stellenbosch wines had to share the stage with premium Rhone-style Swartland blends. And so it happened then, that for the past 8 years, the media stuck Cabernet Sauvignon in a dark and dusty corner - not “cool” enough.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs some of you might know, at the moment I make wine from 35 varieties. Harvest 2015, I thought it a bright idea to do something for the neglected, fallen-from-grace Cabernet Sauvignon. I subsequently identified 6 Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards from 3 different wine areas, at 5 different heights above sea level: 2 near Somerset West (at 116 and 215 m), 2 on the outskirts of Tulbagh (both at 310 m) and 2 in the Witzenberg’s Koue Bokkeveld (at 734 and 755m).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen I first started speaking to the masters of Cabernet here at the Southernmost tip of Africa, the first thing mentioned by most was the dreaded Greenness in Cabernet Sauvignon - a very unwelcome herbaceous \/ vegetative character. This develops due to high levels of Pyrazines\u003cbr\u003epresent in the wine - something that's determined by the ripeness level of the grapes. The longer the grape bunches get exposed to sunlight during the growing period, the less Pyrazines - resulting in less greenness in the end product - reducing herbaceousness and amplifying fruit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere in South Africa we have a unique situation: although we have plenty of sunshine, it is hot and dry. In most instances, by the time the grapes are ripe for picking, it hasn't had long enough sun exposure for the Pyrazines to get to an acceptable level. And if you leave it on the vine for longer, the sugar level gets too high. These sugars are then transformed during fermentation into alcohol resulting in rather high alcoholic wines - commonly tagged as “overripe wines”.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo in general, Cabernet creators are in fact chased by the Green Monster. Defended by some, feared by most. What confuses me, though, is that one could argue that this greenness is a stylistic characteristic of wines closer to the ocean, which makes it acceptable. Or does it? Where the exact point lies where herbaceousness turns into greenness - I am not sure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat’s why I decided to make Cabernets from more than one area and different height levels. I chose the following 6 vineyards:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUNITY: Somerset West - 116 meters above sea-level.\u003cbr\u003eHBK: Helderberg mountain - 215 meters above sea-level\u003cbr\u003eTOOLBAG: Tulbagh - 310 meters above sea-level\u003cbr\u003eMr VILLA: Tulbagh - 310 meters above sea-level\u003cbr\u003eBUT WHY?: Ceres Plateau - 734 meters above sea-level\u003cbr\u003eLEAVING THE TABLE: Ceres Plateau - 755 meters above sea-level\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe made them all separately and aged them all in French oak for one and a half years - picked mainly when we thought the grapes tasted best. Interestingly enough, the first vineyard on the Helderberg ripened in late February whereas the last vineyard in Ceres Plateau (about 3 hours drive from the first) reached optimum ripeness on 22 April - 100 days into harvest and also the very last grapes to hit the cellar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI assumed that UNITY and HBK would be more herbaceous in character, growing so close to the ocean and at a lower sea level. We picked UNITY at a general ripeness level, keeping in mind that we wanted to end up with a balanced wine. HBK, on the other hand, we picked completely ripe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith the 2 Tulbagh components, we picked the same vineyard on the same day. We made TOOLBAG the way we usually make our wines. No additions like yeast, enzymes etc. Au Naturel. We left the wine on the skins for 3 weeks after fermentation, pressed into old oak barrels. With Mr VILLA, on the other hand, we manipulated the winemaking process by adding a bit of acid, enzymes to extract colour, 2 strains of specific yeast cultures, a limited time on the skins and aged in the newest oak we had in the cellar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBUT WHY grows at 734 meters above sea-level and I was concerned that ripening would be a challenge. My initial thoughts were that the wines would be green. BUT WHY grows on sandy soils whereas LEAVING THE TABLE grows on rocky clay soils, at the highest elevation of them all. What we did not realize at the time was that the site’s radiation levels (sunlight) were off-the-charts high and the average temperature is low during summer. The grapes could therefore stay on the vines much longer, absorbing massive amounts of sunlight, whilst growing in maturity and getting rid of greenness. Resulting in ripe grapes with lower sugar levels. Sandy soils are also famous for producing more elegant wines…\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo really get a true representation of a South African Cabernet Sauvignon, we then made a blend of all 6 wines. Not in equal percentages of the components, but rather a carefully worked out blend in order to get the best of them all together. We named it the B.I.G. Cabernet Sauvignon 2015. We then also decided to bottle them all separately as single vineyard bottlings - each a wine in their own right. So you can now buy a mixed case of 6 bottles where you can taste each component separately plus a bottle of B.I.G Cabernet Sauvignon as the blend of them all. Cabernet Sauvignon from sea-level all the way to 755 meters above sea-level.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"TOOLBAG 2015","offer_id":46385708368038,"sku":"4752","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Toolbag_2751b8a7-65af-4a66-947d-1c0f5b73cb02.png?v=1751094192"},{"product_id":"but-why-2015","title":"BUT WHY 2015","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBUT WHY?: Ceres Plateau - 734 meters above sea-level - Cabernet Sauvignon B.I.G. Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 - a blend of 6 Cabernet vineyards, from 3 areas, vineyard sites ranging from 116 meters above sea level to 755m. I then also bottled all the components that went into B.I.G. separately - UNITY, HBK, TOOLBAG, Mr. VILLA, But Why? And LEAVING THE TABLE. So you can now buy the South African red blend B.I.G. 2015 and then also taste through its components experiencing the effect that height above sea level and proximity towards the ocean have on Cabernet Sauvignon.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday I am releasing 7 new wines: The main one is the B.I.G. Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 - a blend of 6 Cabernet vineyards, from 3 areas, vineyard sites ranging from 116 meters above sea level to 755m. I then also bottled all the components that went into B.I.G. separately - UNITY, HBK, TOOLBAG, Mr. VILLA, But Why? And LEAVING THE TABLE. So you can now buy the South African red blend B.I.G. 2015 and then also taste through its components experiencing the effect that height above sea level and proximity towards the ocean have on Cabernet Sauvignon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Swartland Revolution was exactly that: a revolution initiated by Swartland farmers which turned the premium wine market upside down. Suddenly premium higher-priced Bordeaux-style Stellenbosch wines had to share the stage with premium Rhone-style Swartland blends. And so it happened then, that for the past 8 years, the media stuck Cabernet Sauvignon in a dark and dusty corner - not “cool” enough.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs some of you might know, at the moment I make wine from 35 varieties. Harvest 2015, I thought it a bright idea to do something for the neglected, fallen-from-grace Cabernet Sauvignon. I subsequently identified 6 Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards from 3 different wine areas, at 5 different heights above sea level: 2 near Somerset West (at 116 and 215 m), 2 on the outskirts of Tulbagh (both at 310 m) and 2 in the Witzenberg’s Koue Bokkeveld (at 734 and 755m).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen I first started speaking to the masters of Cabernet here at the Southernmost tip of Africa, the first thing mentioned by most was the dreaded Greenness in Cabernet Sauvignon - a very unwelcome herbaceous \/ vegetative character. This develops due to high levels of Pyrazines\u003cbr\u003epresent in the wine - something that's determined by the ripeness level of the grapes. The longer the grape bunches get exposed to sunlight during the growing period, the less Pyrazines - resulting in less greenness in the end product - reducing herbaceousness and amplifying fruit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere in South Africa we have a unique situation: although we have plenty of sunshine, it is hot and dry. In most instances, by the time the grapes are ripe for picking, it hasn't had long enough sun exposure for the Pyrazines to get to an acceptable level. And if you leave it on the vine for longer, the sugar level gets too high. These sugars are then transformed during fermentation into alcohol resulting in rather high alcoholic wines - commonly tagged as “overripe wines”.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo in general, Cabernet creators are in fact chased by the Green Monster. Defended by some, feared by most. What confuses me, though, is that one could argue that this greenness is a stylistic characteristic of wines closer to the ocean, which makes it acceptable. Or does it? Where the exact point lies where herbaceousness turns into greenness - I am not sure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat’s why I decided to make Cabernets from more than one area and different height levels. I chose the following 6 vineyards:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUNITY: Somerset West - 116 meters above sea-level.\u003cbr\u003eHBK: Helderberg mountain - 215 meters above sea-level\u003cbr\u003eTOOLBAG: Tulbagh - 310 meters above sea-level\u003cbr\u003eMr VILLA: Tulbagh - 310 meters above sea-level\u003cbr\u003eBUT WHY?: Ceres Plateau - 734 meters above sea-level\u003cbr\u003eLEAVING THE TABLE: Ceres Plateau - 755 meters above sea-level\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe made them all separately and aged them all in French oak for one and a half years - picked mainly when we thought the grapes tasted best. Interestingly enough, the first vineyard on the Helderberg ripened in late February whereas the last vineyard in Ceres Plateau (about 3 hours drive from the first) reached optimum ripeness on 22 April - 100 days into harvest and also the very last grapes to hit the cellar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI assumed that UNITY and HBK would be more herbaceous in character, growing so close to the ocean and at a lower sea level. We picked UNITY at a general ripeness level, keeping in mind that we wanted to end up with a balanced wine. HBK, on the other hand, we picked completely ripe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith the 2 Tulbagh components, we picked the same vineyard on the same day. We made TOOLBAG the way we usually make our wines. No additions like yeast, enzymes etc. Au Naturel. We left the wine on the skins for 3 weeks after fermentation, pressed into old oak barrels. With Mr VILLA, on the other hand, we manipulated the winemaking process by adding a bit of acid, enzymes to extract colour, 2 strains of specific yeast cultures, a limited time on the skins and aged in the newest oak we had in the cellar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBUT WHY grows at 734 meters above sea-level and I was concerned that ripening would be a challenge. My initial thoughts were that the wines would be green. BUT WHY grows on sandy soils whereas LEAVING THE TABLE grows on rocky clay soils, at the highest elevation of them all. What we did not realize at the time was that the site’s radiation levels (sunlight) were off-the-charts high and the average temperature is low during summer. The grapes could therefore stay on the vines much longer, absorbing massive amounts of sunlight, whilst growing in maturity and getting rid of greenness. Resulting in ripe grapes with lower sugar levels. Sandy soils are also famous for producing more elegant wines…\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo really get a true representation of a South African Cabernet Sauvignon, we then made a blend of all 6 wines. Not in equal percentages of the components, but rather a carefully worked out blend in order to get the best of them all together. We named it the B.I.G. Cabernet Sauvignon 2015. We then also decided to bottle them all separately as single vineyard bottlings - each a wine in their own right. So you can now buy a mixed case of 6 bottles where you can taste each component separately plus a bottle of B.I.G Cabernet Sauvignon as the blend of them all. Cabernet Sauvignon from sea-level all the way to 755 meters above sea-level.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"BUT WHY 2015","offer_id":46385708433574,"sku":"4754","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-But-Why-1_58e71948-4b4b-4a32-9c06-b5ec2e3daa44.png?v=1751093318"},{"product_id":"leaving-the-table-2015","title":"Leaving the table 2015","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLEAVING THE TABLE: Ceres Plateau - 755 meters above sea-level - Cabernet Sauvignon B.I.G. Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 - a blend of 6 Cabernet vineyards, from 3 areas, vineyard sites ranging from 116 meters above sea level to 755m. I then also bottled all the components that went into B.I.G. separately - UNITY, HBK, TOOLBAG, Mr. VILLA, But Why? And LEAVING THE TABLE. So you can now buy the South African red blend B.I.G. 2015 and then also taste through its components experiencing the effect that height above sea level and proximity towards the ocean have on Cabernet Sauvignon\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday I am releasing 7 new wines: The main one is the B.I.G. Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 - a blend of 6 Cabernet vineyards, from 3 areas, vineyard sites ranging from 116 meters above sea level to 755m. I then also bottled all the components that went into B.I.G. separately - UNITY, HBK, TOOLBAG, Mr. VILLA, But Why? And LEAVING THE TABLE. So you can now buy the South African red blend B.I.G. 2015 and then also taste through its components experiencing the effect that height above sea level and proximity towards the ocean have on Cabernet Sauvignon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Swartland Revolution was exactly that: a revolution initiated by Swartland farmers which turned the premium wine market upside down. Suddenly premium higher-priced Bordeaux-style Stellenbosch wines had to share the stage with premium Rhone-style Swartland blends. And so it happened then, that for the past 8 years, the media stuck Cabernet Sauvignon in a dark and dusty corner - not “cool” enough.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs some of you might know, at the moment I make wine from 35 varieties. Harvest 2015, I thought it a bright idea to do something for the neglected, fallen-from-grace Cabernet Sauvignon. I subsequently identified 6 Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards from 3 different wine areas, at 5 different heights above sea level: 2 near Somerset West (at 116 and 215 m), 2 on the outskirts of Tulbagh (both at 310 m) and 2 in the Witzenberg’s Koue Bokkeveld (at 734 and 755m).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen I first started speaking to the masters of Cabernet here at the Southernmost tip of Africa, the first thing mentioned by most was the dreaded Greenness in Cabernet Sauvignon - a very unwelcome herbaceous \/ vegetative character. This develops due to high levels of Pyrazines\u003cbr\u003epresent in the wine - something that's determined by the ripeness level of the grapes. The longer the grape bunches get exposed to sunlight during the growing period, the less Pyrazines - resulting in less greenness in the end product - reducing herbaceousness and amplifying fruit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere in South Africa we have a unique situation: although we have plenty of sunshine, it is hot and dry. In most instances, by the time the grapes are ripe for picking, it hasn't had long enough sun exposure for the Pyrazines to get to an acceptable level. And if you leave it on the vine for longer, the sugar level gets too high. These sugars are then transformed during fermentation into alcohol resulting in rather high alcoholic wines - commonly tagged as “overripe wines”.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo in general, Cabernet creators are in fact chased by the Green Monster. Defended by some, feared by most. What confuses me, though, is that one could argue that this greenness is a stylistic characteristic of wines closer to the ocean, which makes it acceptable. Or does it? Where the exact point lies where herbaceousness turns into greenness - I am not sure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat’s why I decided to make Cabernets from more than one area and different height levels. I chose the following 6 vineyards:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUNITY: Somerset West - 116 meters above sea-level.\u003cbr\u003eHBK: Helderberg mountain - 215 meters above sea-level\u003cbr\u003eTOOLBAG: Tulbagh - 310 meters above sea-level\u003cbr\u003eMr VILLA: Tulbagh - 310 meters above sea-level\u003cbr\u003eBUT WHY?: Ceres Plateau - 734 meters above sea-level\u003cbr\u003eLEAVING THE TABLE: Ceres Plateau - 755 meters above sea-level\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe made them all separately and aged them all in French oak for one and a half years - picked mainly when we thought the grapes tasted best. Interestingly enough, the first vineyard on the Helderberg ripened in late February whereas the last vineyard in Ceres Plateau (about 3 hours drive from the first) reached optimum ripeness on 22 April - 100 days into harvest and also the very last grapes to hit the cellar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI assumed that UNITY and HBK would be more herbaceous in character, growing so close to the ocean and at a lower sea level. We picked UNITY at a general ripeness level, keeping in mind that we wanted to end up with a balanced wine. HBK, on the other hand, we picked completely ripe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith the 2 Tulbagh components, we picked the same vineyard on the same day. We made TOOLBAG the way we usually make our wines. No additions like yeast, enzymes etc. Au Naturel. We left the wine on the skins for 3 weeks after fermentation, pressed into old oak barrels. With Mr VILLA, on the other hand, we manipulated the winemaking process by adding a bit of acid, enzymes to extract colour, 2 strains of specific yeast cultures, a limited time on the skins and aged in the newest oak we had in the cellar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBUT WHY grows at 734 meters above sea-level and I was concerned that ripening would be a challenge. My initial thoughts were that the wines would be green. BUT WHY grows on sandy soils whereas LEAVING THE TABLE grows on rocky clay soils, at the highest elevation of them all. What we did not realize at the time was that the site’s radiation levels (sunlight) were off-the-charts high and the average temperature is low during summer. The grapes could therefore stay on the vines much longer, absorbing massive amounts of sunlight, whilst growing in maturity and getting rid of greenness. Resulting in ripe grapes with lower sugar levels. Sandy soils are also famous for producing more elegant wines…\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo really get a true representation of a South African Cabernet Sauvignon, we then made a blend of all 6 wines. Not in equal percentages of the components, but rather a carefully worked out blend in order to get the best of them all together. We named it the B.I.G. Cabernet Sauvignon 2015. We then also decided to bottle them all separately as single vineyard bottlings - each a wine in their own right. So you can now buy a mixed case of 6 bottles where you can taste each component separately plus a bottle of B.I.G Cabernet Sauvignon as the blend of them all. Cabernet Sauvignon from sea-level all the way to 755 meters above sea-level.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Leaving the table 2015","offer_id":46385708794022,"sku":"4756","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Leaving-the-Table_b0b9d887-569e-41c8-8957-ae989d3c517b.png?v=1751093636"},{"product_id":"haanepoot-2014","title":"Haanepoot 2014","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA once-off production from BLANKBOTTLE - Hanepoot 2014. Made from a small, very old Helderberg vineyard; Muscat de Alexandria (the real name for Hanepoot)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnother once-off production from BLANKBOTTLE - Hanepoot 2014. Made from a small, very old Helderberg vineyard; Muscat de Alexandria (the real name for Hanepoot). It was planted for its muscaty taste and was mainly used for eating and sometimes to make sweet, fortified wine. The vines are 60 years old and ripen at a very low sugar. So the wine is dry at a very low alcohol of 12%. Wine of Origin Stellenbosch, the muscaty floral nose and palate calls for some spicy dishes. Some Indian curry I would say. And the label I did as a Linocut, the “poot\" (foot) of a “haan” (male chicken). And that is where the grape got his nickname from, the loose bunches looks like the foot of a chicken.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Haanepoot 2014","offer_id":46385708826790,"sku":"4758","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Haanepoot.png?v=1751093478"},{"product_id":"familiemoord-2018","title":"Familiemoord 2018","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2013, I released a wine called Familiemoord - a wine about the extraordinary but true story of how the police thought I killed my son and buried him in a shallow grave in the vacant property next to our house. The Cape Argus' article on 11 May 2013 about the incident titled  “The mystery of the boy in the sandpit” serves as this wine’s label.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDon’t worry, my son is alive and well and is turning 13 in September -  6 years after I “killed” him. This wine has generated the most reaction of any wine I have ever produced - and not for any of the reasons a winemaker would hope for. In fact, most people were totally oblivious as to the terroir (Swartland) or cultivar (Grenache noir) of the 2013 vintage! Some countries were uncomfortable with the name, so in 2015 I stopped producing it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut now that the dust has settled Familiemoord is back - BLANKBOTTLE Familiemoord 2018 - Wellington Grenache, Elgin Pinot and Darling Cinsaut\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe story:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eOctober 2013\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLast night, at 6 pm, my wife's phone rang while I was doing a Pilates session (my wife is a Pilates instructor) in our living room wearing an old t-shirt and pajama pants. It was the lady that moved into our previous house just a few blocks away. \"Are you OK?\",she asked my wife. \"What's going on in your street? The whole place is full of police\". I ran out into the street and she was right – there were police vans parked bumper to bumper from right in front of our house, right down to the end of the street and around the corner! A yellow police crime-scene ribbon was spun around our neighboring 7 erf property, police standing almost shoulder to shoulder and people from the area streaming in to get their piece of the action.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow this huge property's been vacant and for sale for many years. It is slightly run down at the moment, and the cause of much concern for the neighbours. \"What's going on?\", I asked my other neighbour. Neighbour: \"No one wants to say\". As I made my way through the crowd, I could see one policeman patrolling the crime scene with the help of his German Shepard. Being the direct neighbour to the property, I was directed to an inspector not dressed in police clothing. \"There's been a murder”, he said. \"Goodness...\" I replied. Inspector: \"Yes, a man allegedly killed a child with a spade and buried him in a shallow grave\". \"Goodness...\" I replied. Me: \"When did this happen?\". It sort of looked like he was getting irritated with me and he reluctantly replied: \"Saturday\". As my mind started to add up a few things (thinking maybe this is where I should just keep silent and walk away), I asked the next question: \"Where did he bury the child?\" Inspector: \"You see where the dog's at? right there\". \"OOOOPSSSS\", I replied, \"that was me...\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou see, on Saturday I had decided to build a sandpit for my 3 little ones to play in. The closest and most convenient place to get pure white sand from was under the grass of the vacant property right next to me. So I neatly removed blocks of grass with my spade (the size of, come to think of it now, a small grave) until the white sand was exposed. I then dug a hole and transferred the sand to the sand pit on my property, replacing the sand with soil I dug up from the sand pit. Just before I started to close the 1.5 meter deep hole however, my 7-year-old son, Luca, jumped into the hole and covered himself with soil. I joined in the fun and continued to throw the rest of the soil on him until only his head stuck out. What we didn't notice at that point was the shocked faces of a few boys from the neighbourhood passing on their bikes at that very moment.... What they didn't see of course, was how Luca then wiggled his way out and I closed the hole and replaced the grass patches - very neatly so that no one could see I was there.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese very upset children drove straight home telling the one kid’s mom that a guy with long blonde hair killed a boy with a spade and is busy burying him in a shallow grave, at the vacant property in Brand Street. Initially she brushed them off, but after a sleepless night with hysterical children, she decided to investigate - and discovered the suspicious shallow grave, just as they said. So she phoned the police who came out to the property and suddenly: CRIME SCENE...\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePoliceman: \"So you are the guy with the long blonde hair!\". I (still dressed in my pajama pants) confirmed the size of my son and he shouted to everyone: \"Pack up guys, we found the suspect\".\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDon't be surprised if my next wine is called \"child killer\" or “sandpit”.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Familiemoord 2018","offer_id":46385709056166,"sku":"4763","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Familie-Moord_cb74a9df-861c-4bc0-89c2-4eef2899d5ce.png?v=1751093443"},{"product_id":"doc-2012","title":"Doc 2012","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is an ELGIN white blend that represents the rocky outcrops of Valley Road. It's a blend of mostly Riesling, Semillon and a bit of Sauvignon blanc.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDOC 2012 is a wine made from grapes I buy from OUR FAMILY DOCTOR, doc Gary. He has a little farm on Valley Road, Elgin. This is the first vintage. All the components were fermented separately in older 500l French oak barrels and aged a year on the lease. Like most of my wines, absolutely nothing was added - NO sulphur before fermentation, NO yeast, NO acid… Just a minute bit of sulphur after fermentation and before bottling. The wine is fresh and vibrant with exceptional aging potential.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Doc 2012","offer_id":46385709121702,"sku":"4790","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Doc-12-copy-e1570510154330.png?v=1751093363"},{"product_id":"dok-2013","title":"DOK 2013","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is an ELGIN white blend that represents the rocky outcrops of Valley Road. It's a blend of mostly Riesling, Semillon and a bit of Sauvignon blanc.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2010, I took part in a surf contest, the Anual Vintners Surf Classic in Stilbay, situated on the east coast of South Africa. Only surfing-winemakers\/viticulturists\/grape producers are allowed to compete. And believe it or not, we are almost 40 contestants every year. That specific year, I met a guy called Dok Gary van Wyk. A surfing-doktor-part-time-farmer and we tasted a wine that someone made for him making use of the grapes grown on his farm. I loved the wine and asked him if I could pay him a visit. And that is how DOK began. In Valley Road, Elgin, DOK Gary farms with Riesling, Semillon and Sauvignon blanc. The 3 vineyards aren't very big and grow on top of a rocky mountainous outcrop in red rocky clay soil. I started making wine from the grapes and this is the second vintage. This wine is representative of that little rocky outcrop in Elgin - mostly Riesling with a portion of Semillon and Sauvignon blanc.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe wine is fresh, but full bodied, something that can be aged. Made in a natural way, no additives. Just a very small amount of sulphur. A wine that will be around each year. Enjoy!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"DOK 2013","offer_id":46385709154470,"sku":"4793","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Dok_ffb7380d-ca87-4857-a24c-2e3fa5d4ba2c.png?v=1751093366"},{"product_id":"little-william-2018","title":"Little William 2018","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCeres Plateau Shiraz - The new vintage of Little William is most probably our best to date. An awesome, super elegant wine. We fermented all the grapes 100% whole bunch...\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn March 2015 harvest was in full swing in my old little super-cramped winery. I had already exceeded the tonnage fitted for a 160 square meter building the year before, but now things were just out of hand - I was beyond maxed-out - I was overstretched, overloaded, overflowing and all the other \"over\" words you can think of in order to compensate for my impending future growth.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo there, in the midst of my trapeze acts in my cellar, in walks a wine making friend with 2 Pick\u0026amp;Pay bags full of grapes. Shoving it in my hands, he tells me about this lady that was given a bakkie-load of vine plantings as a gift. On her farm in the Koue Bokkeveld (755 meters above sea-level on top of the Witzenberg), they then stuck it in the soil and it started growing. Most vines in South Africa are grafted on American roots as they are not susceptible to a dreaded disease called Phylloxera - which basically wiped out the world's vines in the late 19th century. But these Syrah grapes in the Koue Bokkeveld were in fact growing on their original Syrah roots (we call this “makstok\") -  a very rare set of circumstances found not many places in the world. The little vineyard looks more like a garden than a vineyard. So there they'd been growing for a number of years. No one was really interested in them at the time so I committed to buying the grapes, inspired purely by the story, not the quality, as none of us knew what to expect…\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen it comes to new vineyards like these with no track record, picking time is very difficult to establish. So we just tasted the grapes and looked at the vines. The average temperature at that height above sea-level - 755 meters - is rather low in the growing and ripening season, so the grapes accumulate sugar slowly. We decided to pick when the leaves of the vines started yellowing, showing that optimal ripeness was reached. The first vintage ever (now sold out) was the 2015 -  fresh, but with a rather large frame, deep red in colour and plenty of fruit - an alcohol of 14%.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut then in 2016 the style changed. I am not exactly sure why, but the wine ended up being elegant and delicate, low in alcohol (12%) and almost Pinot like. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the 2017 harvest we had a massive setback - veld fires tormented the mountain tops of the Witzenberg mountains. The vines got burnt and smokey flavours got stuck in the wax layers on the outside of the ripening berries. We suspected that we had possible smoke taint but there was no way to test this before picking. When it comes to white wines the threat of smoke taint is much lower. Because you remove the skins of the berries from the juice immediately, you also remove the possible danger of the wax layer transferring the smoke taint to the juice. But with reds it is different. You have to ferment on the skins to get the colour and tannins. The alcohol then extracts the smoke taint from the skins into the wine. Long story short. The 2017 wine tasted like burnt bacon and we sold all off for very little money. HUGE LOSS!\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut nature has its way of recovering and the new vintage of Little William is most probably our best to date. An awesome, super elegant wine. We fermented all the grapes 100% whole bunch. This means that we chucked whole clusters of grapes into the tank, not removing stems\/stalks, retaining as much of the terroir\/vineyard as possible. I gave my feet a good-old (soapless) scrub and then trampled the grapes, squashing only the berries. The juice underwent spontaneous fermentation and was left on the skins for 3 weeks - pressed into older French oak barrels and aged for a year. For those of you who likes Pinot Noir-styled wines, this is the closest Syrah to this you’ll find - at extreme height above sea-level - Wine of Origin: Ceres Plateau!\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe Story of the name Little William:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe wine is named after a little boy called William (or this is what I recall hearing…)\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn January 2016, I was driving back from this little vineyard in the Koue Bokkeveld\/Ceres Plateau. I was speeding through a very winding stretch of road leading towards the Witzenberg pass, when I saw something in the middle of the road. I had just come through a super sharp bend and had to jump on the brakes with both feet. When I finally got my 470 000-km-on-the-clock Toyota to stop, there, in the middle of nowhere, on the white line in the middle of the road, stood a little blond boy, maybe 1 year old. He was in nappies and had a white T-shirt on; making him almost impossible to see as he stood there on the white line. Not quite knowing what to do with him after I got him out the road, I thought it a good plan to prompt him and see what direction he takes off in (me of course just behind him).\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen about 200 meters down the road he (we) crossed a little bridge heading towards the other side of the canal. He headed towards a farmhouse another 300 meters up that road on a little hill. Keeping up to his snail-like pace we arrived at the house more or less 10 minutes later. The gardener, who saw us approaching, called a woman and judging by her reaction, she must’ve been his mom and he must’ve been missing for a while…his name is William.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Label:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe original artwork was done from a photo I took at a specific place in the Witzenberg pass. I did the first hills with lino but the hills looked too hilly…I needed a rough moon-type, rocky landscape, so I took wooden blocks and carved the mountains from wood. I then added ink to it and did the prints, then drew the road by hand.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Little William 2018","offer_id":46385709351078,"sku":"4795","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Little-William-15-copy-e1569429548602_de6dc872-eac8-499d-8664-9b4ec1b5ace7.png?v=1751093652"},{"product_id":"offspring-2015","title":"OFFSPRING 2015","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe birth of OFFSPRING, the child of Dad OrbitofrontalCortex and Mom Limbic... - Semillon from Elgin, Chenin blanc from Wellington and Verdelho from the Voor Paardeberg\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy November 2015, I had mostly made up my mind about my new wines destined for bottling in January 2016 - a process that takes months to complete. At that stage I had 21 white wine components sitting in barrel that was ready for bottling - some as single varietal wines and some in blends. It all changed when I met a guy on a plane called Mark Drummond. One thing led to another and ultimately to the wine called Limbic and Orbitofrontal Cortex. (If you’re not familiar with these wines, you can read the story here.) In short we made a blend by tapping into my subconscious reactions to the various white wine components I had in the cellar at the time. To counter that wine, we also made the best blend according to my conscious mind.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow these wines obviously messed up my planning for the January 2016 bottling completely - taking out some of the vital components of other planned wines. This gave birth to an OFFSPRING, the child of Dad OrbitofrontalCortex and Mom Limbic (not the leftovers all thrown together - if I feel that a component doesn’t quite measure up, it gets demoted to a leftover tank which I sell as bulk wine). This OFFSPRING was thoughtfully blended - Semillon from Elgin, Chenin blanc from Wellington and Verdelho from the Voor Paardeberg. All the components were made separately. As the grapes came into the winery, it was pressed and the juice went straight to tank. It received no additions and from there went straight to older french oak barrels, underwent spontaneous fermentation, stayed in barrel for one year, received a small amount of sulpher, got blended and finally bottled. This unplanned wine scored 94 points out of 100 in the recent Tim Atkin report on South African wine. So the wine turned out really nicely. This is the official release.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"OFFSPRING 2015","offer_id":46385709416614,"sku":"4796","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-copy-e1569429967751.png?v=1751093824"},{"product_id":"100-00000-2015","title":"100.00000 2015","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA single vineyard organically grown Syrah from the Voor-Paardeberg. 100% whole bunch fermented with the whole vintage bottled in Magnums.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA single vineyard organically grown Syrah from the Voor-Paardeberg. When you make Shiraz in a more European style the idea is to present the vineyard and the grapes in as pure a way as possible, not interfering with the taste of the grapes at all.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo take terroir to the next level, one wants to put everything that comes from the vineyard into the wine. So why remove the stems? It is part of the grapes and terroir. So I decided to do a trial in 2014. The grapes for this wine comes from a Organically farmed vineyard in the Voor-Paardeberg. When we picked the grapes, I took a bunch and stripped the stem clean. I tasted the berries, but also ate the stem. Pure spice, so interesting. So my thoughts were: If I ferment this wine with about 30% of the stems in the wine (you call this whole bunch fermentation) I could get some of that exciting spice into the Syrah. So I chucked 33.33333% of the grapes into a fermentation vessel and crushed it with my feet. Hence the name 33.33333.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow in 2015 the stems were even riper. The ripest I have ever tasted stems. So we did 100% whole bunch fermentation. The grapes went into a open tank. I foot stomped the grapes and it fermented naturally. It aged in old French oak for 12 months and bottles in 1.5 litre Magnums. Why, I am not sure - it was if the personality of the wine demanded huge bottles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe label is a pencil sketch I did on a piece of paper I deliberately spilled a cup of tea on. It is a picture of a camera taking a shot of a stem. So in the original artwork for the 2014 vintage the camera’s lens was exposed to 33.333333 % of the stem. The rest were blocked out. In 2015 I took the original artwork, removed the blackout 70% so that the camera takes a picture of 100% of the stem. Crossed the 33.333 out and added 100.00000 as the new name.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"100.00000 2015","offer_id":46385709580454,"sku":"4797","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/100.00000.png?v=1751093152"},{"product_id":"joel-2008","title":"JOEL 2008","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e71% Chenin Blanc in the blend, 23% was fermented in wood and aged for 5 months. The balance of the Chenin was unwooded and a combination between 3 blocks of grapes. 2 younger blocks who produced the fruit characters and an older block for structure. The Viognier was all fermented in small oak barrels (50% new and 50% second fill French oak). To cut a long story short, since my introduction to Wellington I felt at home and loved the area, its grapes and its people. I’ve always somehow felt that I was directed there and on the right place for the moment. As time went on, and the wine kept on impressing me, I realised that the area could definitely play a massive role in my business for years to come.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn October 2007 a very good friend, Jan de Villiers, invited me for a wine tasting the following Thursday afternoon – secret venue. Although I was quite busy at the time, I just had a feeling that I shouldn’t miss it (we all have to make our sacrifices..!) I met him at his beautiful office on a farm outside Stellenbosch and we drove all the way to Wellington.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen we arrived at the farm, I was completely blown away by one of the most spectacular setting I had ever come across. The owner’s son took us on a tour of the farm. I’m sworn to confidentiality but what I can tell you is that I met some quality people with an intense attention to detail. They showed me their winery, we tasted very interesting wines and weird cultivars and the family even invited me and Jan for lunch! Ever since then we have been working together. I like working in all the wine producing areas and do not want to single out one, but when it comes to Chenin and Viognier, you would seriously want to consider Wellington. To cut a long story short, since my introduction to Wellington I felt at home and loved the area, its grapes and its people.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI’ve always somehow felt that I was directed there and on the right place for the moment. As time went on, and the wine kept on impressing me, I realised that the area could definitely play a massive role in my business for years to come. I’ve always liked my middle name – Hauptfleisch - my mom’s maiden name. (As opposed to my wife, who keeps making jokes about it!) Recently, my mom started studying our family background and tree in order to find out where exactly the HAUPTFLEISCH family is from. Last week she told me that the third generation Hauptfleisch on our side of the family (Daniel Benjamin Hauptfleisch 1781 – 1824), in South Africa, owned a farm in Wellington. She gave me the name. After doing some investigation myself, I found out that the guys I work with in Wellington actually bought the farm in 1981. And, you won’t believe it: 2 thirds of the Chenin blanc used in the JOEL, consists of wine made from grapes from that specific farm. I mean, what are the odds?? 2 months after I bottled my new wine I find out that 50% of the wine was made with grapes from the farm where my family farmed 7 generations ago! Isn’t this an amazing discovery, and YES, confirmation that I am in the right place at the right time. All the grapes are from Wellington. Of the 71% Chenin Blanc in the blend, 23% was fermented in wood and aged for 5 months. The balance of the Chenin was unwooded and a combination between 3 blocks of grapes. 2 younger blocks who produced the fruit characters and an older block for structure. The Viognier was all fermented in small oak barrels (50% new and 50% second fill French oak).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"JOEL 2008","offer_id":46385709645990,"sku":"4820","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Nothing-To-Declare-2-copy-e1570509559565_ea24f21f-c65c-4950-a7e0-9efce8a6b2a3.png?v=1751093595"},{"product_id":"eye-of-the-storm-2008","title":"EYE OF THE STORM 2008","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShiraz\/Zinfandel\/Viognier 2008 “Eye of the Storm” is a blend of 90% Shiraz 2007 from Schapenberg (same mountain that Vergelegen’s on, just on the opposite side), and 8% Zinfandel and 2% Viognier from Wellington.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe “Eye of the Storm” is a miracle wine – but the full explanation you’ll have to wait for another day (or inevitably a future newsletter!). For now, please find below my notes and comments on the wine: “Eye of the Storm” is a blend of 90% Shiraz 2007 from Schapenberg (same mountain that Vergelegen’s on, just on the opposite side), and 8% Zinfandel and 2% Viognier from Wellington. The Shiraz was made at a winery in Stellenbosch and aged for 15 months in second and third fill French and American oak barrels.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen blending started I had the Shiraz as my base wine, which was fantastic in itself, but I decided to add a different component. I mostly try to blend my wines as, to me, wine is all about dimension. I decided to make a Rhone style blend (actually, come to think of it, I didn’t decide it in advance, it rather sort of evolved). I tasted various possible blending wines and after some very valuable insets from my council of many: winemakers, the regular consumer (friends \u0026amp; family) and a lot of prayer, I decided on a bit of a controversial blend of the 3 cultivars. I classify the wine as controversial as the wine has a unique twist which adds a bit of risk to it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe blended the Zinfandel and Viognier from Wellington with the Shiraz from Somerset West and bottled the batch. Immediately after bottling the wine took a slight dip, which can be attributed to a combination of factors. But I still believed that we did the right thing. I waited patiently. One month after bottling the wine had improved significantly; two months later it was even better and 3 months after bottling the true potential started shining. At this present moment (4 months after bottling) the wine is only beginning to step onto the palate. I personally think that this is one of my best so far. I then decided to release the wine without a price again, as I did with “Moment of Silence” in 2007. 47 consumers all accepted a case of wine to decide what they would be willing to pay for it. They tasted the wine and paid me what they decided it was worth to them. The objectives of this exercise were threefold: What is the emotional value I’m adding to my clients’ lives by producing this wine? This is all about enjoying the wine with friends, food pairings and giving them a story to tell. (Indeed life is all about your stories!) What are my clients personally ABLE to pay for this wine? This is influenced by their financial position, philosophies on wine buying, the current economical climate (even the petrol price) etc. And ultimately: What do they feel is the Market related retail value of this wine?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI published all their comments and suggestions on the internet. And without fail: what an interesting mix of opinions and ideas!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"EYE OF THE STORM 2008","offer_id":46385709711526,"sku":"4821","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Eye-of-the-Storm-copy-e1570510050801.png?v=1751093432"},{"product_id":"the-spaniard-2007","title":"The Spaniard 2007","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMourvedre\/Grenache\/Carignan\/Cinsaut 2007. Drinking this wine is like walking barefeet in mud. The warm mud peels through your toes, it covers your feet, it goes into and through every gap. It encompasses your feet.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis wine intrigues me. 4 different cultivars from 3 different areas. They are all specialised cultivars. Not many people make them. This is the ultimate wine, combining ancient wine history with a new world twist. All the cultivars in this blend hail from ancient Spain (some of them date back to 500BC). Some say that they were first found growing in Southern France. But then, Northern Spain and Southern France are just a border post away from each other. The cultivar combination is based on French tradition but groundbreaking for South Africa. So this wine is a blend of 42% Mourvèdre, 24% Carignan, 24% Grenache Noir and 10% Cinsaut. And YES, I think it could be the best wine BLANKbottle had so far, but then again, I always say that...... The Mourvèdre and the Cinsaut are from Wellington, the Carignan from the Swartland and the Grenache noir, unfortunately I am not allowed to tell.... The Mourvèdre is dark in colour with spice and sweet oakiness after spending 24 months is American oak. The Carignan and the Grenache Noir gave this wine its length, it filled the mid pallet with sweet fruit (24 months in French Oak). The Cinsaut made the wine elegant, refined and gave if fines.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDrinking this wine is like walking barefeet in mud. The warm mud peels through your toes, it covers your feet, it goes into and through every gap. It encompasses your feet. This wine is the same. It’s not precise. It’s round, soft and juicy. It encompasses your pallet, from side to side through every gap it covers. Warm, velvety and lingering. I’ll give this wine a 4 and a half star. And remember: if you do not like it, simply return it and make use of my 100% money back guarantee.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"The Spaniard 2007","offer_id":46385709875366,"sku":"4822","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-The-Spaniard-copy.png?v=1751094077"},{"product_id":"midnight-call-2007","title":"MIDNIGHT CALL 2007","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon 40%, Cab Franc 18%, Merlot 18%, Petit Verdot 12%, Malbec 12%. All the grapes are from Wellington, near Hermon. The wine’s been aged in small French oak barrels for 13 months – 20% new oak. We bottled the wine November 2008.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI LOVE WELLINGTON!!!! I think it’s one of the most underrated wine producing areas in South Africa. The grapes are 100% Wellington grapes. We bottled the wine 6 months ago. The wine’s got structure. You can age it for sure. The foundation’s perfectly in place. The Cabernet Sauvignon normally gives structure to a wine. We need this but it also presents us with a challenge. I do not want the Cabernet’s structure to stick out.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMaking the wine like a building where the steel structure, the foundation and brickwork’s not covered with plaster. It makes a building harsh and incomplete. This is where the other cultivars comes in. You need the fruit of the Merlot, Cabernet franc and Malbec to cover the harsh structure of the Cabernet. With a little bit of Petit Verdot to round the structure off completely. Now this is where the wine impresses. The fruit covers the solid foundation and structure that the Cabernet Sauvignon gives to the wine. It makes it full, soft with a mouth-feel that is round and lingering. This is a wine you can age. The wine needs air. The more time the wine spends in the glass the better it becomes. Initially it was a bit shy, feminine and delicate. I am halfway into the bottle now and the wine starts to open up. Very impressive.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"MIDNIGHT CALL 2007","offer_id":46385709908134,"sku":"4825","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Midnight-Call_1-copy-e1570509484646.png?v=1751093704"},{"product_id":"alexa-2009","title":"ALEXA 2009","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eChenin blanc \/ Viognier 2009 - Wellington THIS WINE IS EXCLUSIVE TO SELECTED WOOLWORTHS RETAIL OUTLETS... It's a wine made for summer. Fresh and vibrant to be enjoyed with light salads and fish. But this wine will only be reaching its peak after a year in bottle. Exactly what Woolworths were looking for...\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI have been involved with these vineyards for 3 vintages now. Growing in decomposed granite, the wine tends to have a freshness, minerality some might describe it as. They age well and are extremely diverse. It gives the winemaker the ability to do various things with it. This time round we focused on a wine that is made in a reductive way. No oxygen present when making the wine. No wood. It makes the wine fresh and crisp. We then blended 10% Viognier with the Chenin blanc. Viognier is a potent cultivar and some describe it as jet fuel of V-power. It adds a thickness to the wine building on the mid pallet in order to produce a wine that is fresh and vibrant but has the body and fullness of a complex food wine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll said the wine is made for summer. Fresh and vibrant to be enjoyed with light salads and fish. But this wine will only be reaching its peak after a year in bottle. Exactly what Woolworths were looking for... \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"ALEXA 2009","offer_id":46385709973670,"sku":"4827","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Nothing-To-Declare-2-copy-e1570509559565_c2e46bf4-1b07-4248-814c-e82f6a2983f0.png?v=1751093208"},{"product_id":"the-boss-2008","title":"THE BOSS 2008","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan id=\"bb_quick_overview\"\u003eShiraz \/ Zinfandel 2008 - Simonsberg Wellington THIS WINE IS EXCLUSIVE TO SELECTED WOOLWORTHS RETAIL OUTLETS... “The BOSS” is based on the success of “EYE OF THE STORM”.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSometimes I have a wine that’s a winner... Like for instance the EYE OF THE STORM Shiraz \/ Zinfandel 2007. I released the wine without a price. I gave away cases of wine and asked my clients to pay me whatever they think the wine is worth to them. I then sold the balance of the wine for the average price they paid me. SOLD OUT in 4 weeks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“The BOSS” is based on the success of “EYE OF THE STORM”. The Shiraz grows on the Simonsberg on a yellow Clovelly soil type. I started the blend with 2 batches of Shiraz. The one was elegant and spicy and the other was vibrant, juicy, full and exciting. The whole is , like always, better than the sum of the parts. I therefore used the vibrant batch to add freshness and fullness to the wine and the other batch I brought in for elegance and spice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eZinfandel is a fascinating grape. It has rich wild fruit to it with heaps of intensity and character. Maybe a bit too much on its own but fascinating nonetheless. 10% did the trick. The final blend was 40% of the vibrant fresh Shiraz, 50% elegant spicy Shiraz and 10% wild Zinfandel. I call the wine; BLANKbottle The BOSS. It’s big, assertive, with character but gentle once you get to know him... \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"THE BOSS 2008","offer_id":46385710235814,"sku":"4828","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/the-boss_6ae39493-274a-4a71-8a56-c215ce6a819e.png?v=1751094110"},{"product_id":"moment-of-silence-2009","title":"Moment of Silence 2009","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan id=\"bb_quick_overview\"\u003eThe wine is stylistically the same as the 2007 vintage, but differs in the way the wine was matured. We used older barrels in order to get less wood extraction and integrated complexity. This ensures a weighty wine without obstructing the ability of the wine to express fruit. A crisp, clean wine with umph!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the official release of the new Moment of Silence 2009 – a spectacular blend of three noble white wine cultivars: Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Viognier. Since the release of Moment of Silence 2007, I’ve had numerous requests to repeat the blend (it turned out to be one of BLANKbottle’s best sellers). I subsequently secured the vineyards and worked with their team for the last two years in order to repeat the blend and...here it is!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe wine is stylistically the same as the 2007 vintage, but differs in the way the wine was matured. We used older barrels in order to get less wood extraction and integrated complexity. This ensures a weighty wine without obstructing the ability of the wine to express fruit. A crisp, clean wine with umph!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Moment of Silence 2009","offer_id":46385710301350,"sku":"4830","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Moment-of-Silence-2010-copy_98ba43ef-d4d7-48a7-8676-b50e949e5376.png?v=1751093718"},{"product_id":"black-2008","title":"BLACK 2008","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan id=\"bb_quick_overview\"\u003eBLACK (reference to the Swartland) 2008 is predominantly Syrah (Riebeek and Paardeberg grapes) with bits of Grenache, Mourvèdre and Carignan form the Paardeberg. This wine is the result of a friendship, 7 years experience of creating Swartland wines, the BLANKbottle philosophy and my search for great Syrah in the Swartland. The wine is dense and intense but is presented with sophisticated elegance. The 2010 vintage is in barrel, but for now this wine is a once off limited bottling. We’ll see how the 2010 vintage turns out…\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs you know, BLANKbottle develops through the dynamics of my life journeys and friendships - each wine an expression of these priceless discoveries. 2009, at the annual Vitners Surf Classic I met a guy called Albert Ahrens who, at the time, had been making Swartland wines for 7 years straight. Through yet another BLANKbottle friendship, iron gates to some of the Swartland’s best vineyards were unlocked. And hence was born BLACK and THE WHITE BLACK.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese two wines are a combination of 11 expensive vineyards within the Swartland area and were aged in the best barrels money can buy. Both carry the characteristics of a typical Swartland white and Swartland red; wines with patriotic personality and character. We produced a very limited amount of these wines with 23% of the stock already allocated before release. To match the wine quality we had to go all out with the packaging - designing the atypical labels ourselves, authentic wax jobs on the bottle necks, wrapped in tissue paper, secured by another wax job done by hand. These wines are again exclusive to the BLANKbottle community. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"BLACK 2008","offer_id":46385710366886,"sku":"4831","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Red-copy-e1570509595520_c8fdb5d7-19c5-4aaa-9914-a0398ad25170.png?v=1751093265"},{"product_id":"the-white-black-2009","title":"The WHITE BLACK 2009","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“The WHITE BLACK 2009” (the sister of “BLACK 2008”) is a classic Swartland style white blend. It is a joint venture between Swartland loyalist Albert Ahrens and the BLANKbottle philosophy. A blend of Chenin, Chardonnay, Viognier, Clairette and some other interesting stuff. The grapes are from the Paardeberg in the Swartland.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs you know, BLANKbottle develops through the dynamics of my life journeys and friendships - each wine an expression of these priceless discoveries. 2009, at the annual Vintners Surf Classic I met a guy called Albert Ahrens who, at the time, had been making Swartland wines for 7 years straight. Through yet another BLANKbottle friendship, iron gates to some of the Swartland’s best vineyards were unlocked. And hence was born BLACK and THE WHITE BLACK.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese two wines are a combination of 11 expensive vineyards within the Swartland area and were aged in the best barrels money can buy. Both carry the characteristics of a typical Swartland white and Swartland red; wines with patriotic personality and character. We produced a very limited amount of these wines with 23% of the stock already allocated before release. To match the wine quality we had to go all out with the packaging - designing the atypical labels ourselves, authentic wax jobs on the bottle necks, wrapped in tissue paper, secured by another wax job done by hand. These wines are again exclusive to the BLANKbottle community.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"The WHITE BLACK 2009","offer_id":46385710432422,"sku":"4832","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-The-White-Black-Bottle-copy_88889c35-c65a-4c4a-a937-812e99d2757e.png?v=1751094172"},{"product_id":"mnr-professor-2008","title":"Mnr. PROFESSOR 2008","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan id=\"bb_quick_overview\"\u003eThis is a big wine, predominantly Cabernet, with some Merlot and Cabernet franc to add dimension and drinkability. All the components spent 24 months in 225l French oak casks and the wine was bottled at the end of last year.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Mnr. RROFESSOR” was born roughly 18 months ago when I was working on the Parlotones project. I was led to the Simonsberg where some of our best Cabernet vineyards grow. It’s predominantly Cabernet, with some Merlot and Cabernet franc to add dimension and drinkability. All the components spent 24 months in 225 litre French oak casks and the wine was bottled at the end of last year. The wine is prominently oaked and therefore fairly big with the Cabernet fruit adding a sense of freshness. The Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet franc hails from the Simonsberg - a great place for Bordeaux varieties, as you might know.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI often get asked the same question: where do I get the batch names for my wines? As a rule, they always have some or other amazing story behind them. Most of these stories are confidential, but not in the case of this wine. “Mnr. PROFESSOR” is a nickname referring to my dad, who was involved in a massive motorcycle accident whilst we were in the final stages of bottling the wine (which, at the time, didn't have a name yet). He battled for his life for a few weeks, most of it in Cape Town Medi-Clinic ICU. During that time I decided that whichever way it ended up going, I would like to name the wine after him. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow the story about “Mnr. PROFESSOR” goes as follows: My dad’s friend and owner of a game farm out in the Karoo usually makes use of my dad’s willingness to help to repair all the broken machinery on the farm. The farm worker (sadly not with us anymore) in charge of the farm, Nicklaas, started calling my dad “Mnr. PROFESSOR” (my dad is a lecturer at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and NOT a professor – but a teacher to Nicklaas was a Professor – does not matter how you tried and explain the difference to him). All the farms in the vicinity know of the PROFESSOR that fixed all that’s broken on Nicklaas’s farm. He also called my mom Mev. PROFESSOR and my younger brother, Klein Professortjie (Small Professor) ...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI see it as a massive privilege that my dad made it and that we can share a bottle of “Mnr. PROFESSOR”... Cheers to great family and epic wines...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Mnr. PROFESSOR 2008","offer_id":46385710465190,"sku":"4833","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Mnr-Professor-copy-e1570509501191.png?v=1751093713"},{"product_id":"the-big-spaniard-2009","title":"The BIG Spaniard 2009","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Spaniard 2007 was predominantly Mourvedre but in the BIG Spaniard 2009 I used predominantly Carignan. By doing this, I'm keeping the wine in the same style but adding colour and perfume. The Mourvedre adds oemph and the Cinsaut and Grenache, elegance (not even mentioning the fact that this is a different vintage and therefore a different wine...)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe vineyards used in this wine are situated in the warmer parts of South Africa - the Swartland and Wellington. With decomposed granitic soil towards the Swartland and clay soil in Wellington, each component contributes in its own unique way to the final blend. Overall the Big Spaniard 2009 is a little bit bigger than the Spaniard 2007 and I personally believe that this wine is in a league of its own.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Spaniard 2007 sold out in November 2010 and proved to be BLANKbottle's most popular wine thus far. After many requests for a repeat Spaniard, I'm happy to be able to finally release a worthy successor - The BIG Spaniard 2009. A BIG wine for a BIG winter to come!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe life cycle of a BLANKbottle wine normally goes as follows: If a wine is well received, I repeat the wine for a few vintages until I am satisfied with the quality. The wine will then graduate from the BLANKbottle range and the batch name will become the brand (like in the case of the Moment of Silence). I then endeavour to repeat the wine every year.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the last year you'll be able to buy The Spaniard under the BLANKbottle range. The BIG SPANIARD 2009 (as the name implies, a slightly bigger version of The Spaniard 2007) is an awesome wine. As with The Spaniard 2007, The BIG Spaniard 2009 is a blend of Mourvedre, Carignan, Grenache and Cinsaut.  The Spaniard 2007 was predominantly Mourvedre but the BIG Spaniard 2009 is driven by Carignan which gives it it's colour and perfume. The Mourvedre adds oemph and the Cinsaut and Grenache, elegance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"The BIG Spaniard 2009","offer_id":46385710530726,"sku":"4834","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-The-Bomb-copy.png?v=1751094083"},{"product_id":"nothing-to-declare-2010","title":"NOTHING TO DECLARE 2010","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe grapes for this wine; “Nothing to Declare 2010” were handpicked from exquisite Swartland and Voor Paardeberg vineyards, pressed in a basket press, barrel fermented using only the natural yeast present on the grapes, no additives (except for a little bit of Sulphur), aged for one year in older barrels and blended and bottled in January 2011. It's a blend of Chenin blanc and something very interesting.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo have nothing to declare could mean one of two things: a. I'm doing something illegal or b. I choose to withhold information from you.  As with all BLANKbottle wines, it means the latter. \"Nothing to Declare 2010\" - a blend of Chenin blanc and a very interesting varietal. Let's leave it at that for the time being.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe wine is a winter white made in an oxidative way (exposure to limited amounts of oxygen in the early stages of winemaking). The result: a big, round and spicy wine. Perfect partner to spicy dishes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"NOTHING TO DECLARE 2010","offer_id":46385710563494,"sku":"4835","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-Nothing-To-Declare-2-copy-e1570509559565_f99ddddf-9e5b-43c8-9d76-ccd63e0a181b.png?v=1751093803"},{"product_id":"the-misfit-2009","title":"The MISFIT 2009","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e For this wine I never had the opportunity to do a write-up. The wine is the first that sold out before I could release it. I had the wine at a few tastings and it just flew from the warehouse... It is a 100% Carignan from a vineyard in the Swartland. The block is 15 years old, has no irrigation with very low yields. Fantastic quality. It's a rich wine with sweet juicy fruit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"The MISFIT 2009","offer_id":46385710629030,"sku":"4837","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-The-Misfit-copy-e1570509697824_c5b7b0f9-a884-4b22-8f22-3650bbff6d8e.png?v=1751094141"},{"product_id":"the-little-spaniard-2011","title":"The Little SPANIARD 2011","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe wine is 40% Carignan, 30% Mourvedre, 20% Grenache and 10%\u2028 Cinsaut. Therefore still more or less the same percentages of the same\u2028 varietals but this is the little brother to the BIG Spaniard as the\u2028wine is more elegant and old world than its \u2028brother.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s finally that time of the year where I can start releasing new wines (and make the bank man wipe that frown off his forehead). To start with a bang I decided to release the new version of The Spaniard (called: The Little Spaniard 2011). I am working on a rather large project (which I’m not at liberty to share at this point) and the Little Spaniard is a pilot blend and bottling of it. I’m very happy but that’s not primarily what’s important. The more important question is: are you?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy now most of you know the Spaniard wine well. It started off with the first release \"The Spaniard 2007\" (an interesting yet unusual combination of Mourvedre, Carignan, Grenache and Cinsaut). Soon after the release of The Spaniard, I made available the Educational range where we had all the individual varietals that made up the blend as single bottlings. My second vintage of The Spaniard was a fuller version of the previous Spaniard and I subsequently decided to release it as \"The BIG Spaniard 2009\". It's now sold out and I’m now releasing the next version of The Spaniard. I call it \"The Little Spaniard 2011\" - The wine is 40% Carignan, 30% Mourvedre, 20% Grenache and 10% Cinsaut. Therefore still more or less the same percentages of the same varietals but this is the little brother to the BIG Spaniard as the wine is more elegant and old world than its brother. The grapes are from vineyards around Paarl and Wellington and the wine was made in larger older French oak vessels. It comes in at a mild 13% alcohol, which is extremely low for a hot climate, Mediterranean blend like this.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"The Little SPANIARD 2011","offer_id":46385710694566,"sku":"4838","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-The-Little-Spaniard-2011-copy-e1570509673928.png?v=1751094134"},{"product_id":"e-k-g-2011","title":"E.K.G. 2011","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e100% STELLENBOSCH Petit Verdot from the Helderberg.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe vineyard is on the lower slopes of the Helderberg. Rich in colour  with an abundance of black fruit, this wine is great for winter. This is a trial\/experimental new wine within the BLANKbottle portfolio. If you like it, it’s here to stay!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"E.K.G. 2011","offer_id":46385710760102,"sku":"4839","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-EKG-2011-copy-e1570509729216.png?v=1751093379"},{"product_id":"midnight-call-2011","title":"Midnight Call 2011","description":"\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe wine is a blend of STELLENBOSCH Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Thanks to the help of a friend, this is the start of an exiting road towards improving South African Bordeaux within BLANKbottle.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGoodness, I think we are onto a winner here. For the 2011 vintage Midnight Call I moved to a new area. Absolutely spectacular! To get to these vineyards, you drive towards Stellenbosch from Somerset West on the R44, turn right at the Engen Garage and head straight towards the mountains. The vineyards are scattered across little quaint valleys on the Helderberg and Stellenbosch mountains. The wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Thanks to the help of a friend, this is the start of an exiting road towards improving South African Bordeaux within BLANKbottle. Minimalistic, natural winemaking techniques enable this wine to represent the Blaauwklippen Road in all honesty.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Midnight Call 2011","offer_id":46385710792870,"sku":"4840","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-midnight-call-2011-copy.png?v=1751093708"},{"product_id":"my-eie-stofpad-2011","title":"My eie Stofpad 2011","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSTELLENBOSCH Cabernet franc 2011\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"My eie Stofpad 2011","offer_id":46385710858406,"sku":"4841","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-my-eie-stofpad-2011-copy-e1570509511822.png?v=1751093763"},{"product_id":"my-koffer-2011","title":"My Koffer 2011","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is a unique 100% Cinsault from a vineyard in the BREEDEKLOOF. Like many of you, I consumed a lot of Tassenberg when I was younger....\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf ever I were to be asked to pinpoint a wine, which changed the way, I think and feel about my business it would have to be My Koffer 2011. In fact, I would love to make a movie about this wine. In the meantime, I felt it at least deserves a newsletter dedicated to its story.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe story of this wine starts way back in 1994 when I, still a student at the time, walked into Western Cape Liquor Store in Stellenbosch and bought my first bottle of Tassenberg for R3,50. Not only was this the first bottle of wine I ever bought with my own money, but it was also the first I finished on my own. In the years to follow, I drank a lot of Tassenberg to put it mildly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll that drinking gave me ample time for reflection and I came to the conclusion that I wasn't particularly fond of the whole wine, but there was one flavour component in the wine I loved. That flavour component reminded me of fresh strawberries. Important to note is that I'm not referring to a strawberry jam flavour, but rather to that smell you get whilst walking through ripe strawberry fields - a sweet, green, wholesome sort of freshness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy first winemaking job was at the then capital city of Tassenberg - Eersterivier Wine Cellar, Stellenbosch. We literally made hundreds of thousands of liters of Tassenberg. This is where the light went on for me and I identified my mysterious fresh strawberry component as Cinsaut. Now I'm talking about the old-style pre-1998 Tassenberg, which, as some of you might remember from your Matie years, was worlds apart from the Tassenberg you get nowadays. Or that is how I remember it anyway...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo this is where my fascination with Cinsaut really started. Ever since then I've had the dream to produce a Cinsaut that tastes exactly like that specific fresh strawberry component I fell in love with. And during all my adventures through vineyards and cellars in the past 8 years working on interesting BLANKbottle wines, I had many opportunities to taste great Cinsaut - but NEVER found exactly what I had in mind. Then someone told me about this little vineyard in the Breedekloof.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI had a meeting with the farmer and spent some time in the vineyard. The grapes used to go to a big cooperative winery where these particular grapes had been mixed with other Cinsaut grapes and I therefore could not taste a wine produced from that vineyard alone. So I took the plunge and bought some grapes. For various reasons, Cinsaut is up to date the most difficult varietal I’ve ever had to make a single varietal wine of. Take the picking of the grapes as an example. Cinsaut is known as a varietal that produces lots of grapes per hectare. Selective picking is crucial. I used a team of about 40 women and it took us 2 hours per ton to pick. From there, the grapes went to the winery where I cooled it overnight. I then employed another team of 10 women to sort the berries. Each bunch was taken by hand and all the berries that did not meet a predetermined quality standard were removed and thrown away. We were left with bunches that looked like grade A export quality table grapes. Besides the fact that Cinsaut has huge bunches it also has massive berries. You therefore have much less skin versus juice content and therefore end up with a lighter coloured (red) wine. The grapes fermented in small open-top French oak barrels and were aged in the same barrels for a year before being bottled.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a weird wine, and saying that this wine is very different to what you are used to would be a huge understatement. Firstly it is, typically Cinsaut, light in colour. It has a totally different fruit spectrum - no black fruit flavours reminiscent of plums and blackberries, but rather things like cherries and strawberries. It has a feminine elegance to it with a huge amount of personality. In fact, come to think of it, it reminds me of my 3-year-old daughter: a surprisingly intense personality for such a sweet, elegant little frame!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e\u003c!-- wp:paragraph --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI made this wine in fond memory of old-style Tassenberg with all the emotions connected to a first love. This is \"My TASSENBERG\", \"My TAS\" - BLANKbottle My Koffer 2011 - a suitcase full of memories.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- \/wp:paragraph --\u003e","brand":"Blank Bottle","offers":[{"title":"My Koffer 2011","offer_id":46385710891174,"sku":"4842","price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/8528\/4006\/files\/Blank-Bottle-my-koffer-2011-copy-e1570509548488.png?v=1751093769"}],"url":"https:\/\/blankbottle.co.za\/collections\/catalog.oembed?page=17","provider":"Blankbottle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}