The Khoisan tribe named the river, originating in the Great Karoo and carving its way through the mighty Swartberg range, the Gamka or “lion” – quite possibly due to the fact that when in flood, this usually placid river, literally roars through ravines (klowe in Afrikaans) and savagely bursts its banks sweeping away anything in its path. The Gamka has been the life-blood of our part of the Klein Karoo since the Nel family settled here in the mid 1800’s and its waters are still harnessed today to cultivate crops, provide water for man and beast, as well ensuring we can tend vines to craft wines.
Owner, Carel Nel’s personal blend crafted from two low yielding old vine Portuguese varietals & rounded out with fulsome Shiraz. This second vintage continues the course set by the trailblazing maiden vintage of showcasing the very best of the Cape’s rare Portuguese varietals in a wine with class, elegance and longevity.
Bright garnet red wine billowing from the glass with black hedgerow fruits, tart cranberry, ripe plum notes, spice, and fynbos. The fruit buttressed by fine oak tannins on the savoury palate with hints of fynbos, charcuterie and bacon fat rounding out the wine. This wine only reveals its true underpinnings with time in the glass and tempts one to return for more. Confidently cellar for the next half decade or more, decant in its youth and accompany by hearty rustic fare to fully enjoy this fine table wine.
Anorak facts:
Vinification: Hand harvested old vine Touriga Nacional and Tinta Barocca fermented in traditional lagars /open-top cement fermenters with manual pigeage, matured in new French oak barrels and bottled unfined, unfiltered. The Shiraz component originates from trellised Stellenbosch vines, fermented in tank with intense pump-overs to extract maximum flavour, colour and tannin and resultant wine matured in a combination of French and American oak barrels prior to blending.
