Vondeling Philosophie 2015 Voor-Paardeberg

Vondeling’s flagship wine. Rich baked blackberry crumble, damson, dark cacao and touches of vanilla, cedar and tobacco from 14 months spent in oak barrels.

Philosophie is a very limited bottling (1850 bottles) where no expense has been spared. The vines used are pruned to leave one bunch per cane, lowering the energy required to produce the best fruit and removing the need to irrigate, preserving the natural tannins and acidity. The blend is predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon but partnered with traditional some varietals Bordeaux; Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

For the inaugural 2014 vintage Vondeling selected the rare Paardeberg flower - Haemanthus sanguineus . Rather appropriately it was the first flower to emerge after the devastating veld fire of 2011 which devastated the mountain and was close to destroying Vondeling’s vineyards.