Jonkershoek Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

The 2004 Stellenbosch vintage produced wines of excellent concentration and cedar-inflected structure from the Cape’s best Cabernet sites, with the elevated Jonkershoek Valley delivering its characteristic balance of power and elegance from south-facing decomposed granite slopes. The Neil Ellis Jonkershoek Cabernet Sauvignon is the flagship wine of Neil Ellis Wines and is consistently regarded as one of South Africa’s definitive expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon, regularly winning gold medals at Decanter and the International Wine Challenge. Neil Ellis, a Cape Winemakers Guild member since 1983, pioneered the négociant model in South Africa when he went solo in 1986, becoming the first independent vintner in the Cape to make wine without owning vineyards, matching specific varieties to the terroirs where they excel. He partnered with Hans-Peter Schröder on Oude Nektar farm in the Jonkershoek Valley in 1993, accessing the south-facing Klein Gustrouw vineyard between 190 and 550 metres above sea level where the howling south-easterly wind during summer cools the fruit and concentrates the flavour. The 2004 is produced from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in new French oak, delivering the cedar, cassis and fine-grained tannin structure that defines the Jonkershoek style.