Wine Article
1998 Alto Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
Last edited on 5/9/2011 by cab blends
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The 5 to 16 year old Cabernet Sauvignon vines at Alto, facing north, are grown in soils originating from decomposed granite and clay, situated at an altitude of 135 to 475 metres above sea level. In 1998 these vines were not irrigated which ensured a natural limit (4 to 6 tonnes per hectare) to a quality crop. Grown as four-wire trellised hedges, the vines enjoy a temperate climate, cooled by the sea breezes rising from nearby False Bay. Alto usually has an annual rainfall of 750 mm, but 1998 was hot and dry and the estate measured only 440 mm in the period prior to the vintage.
The grapes were hand-picked in March and reached the cellar at an average of 23.5º Balling.
After destalking and crushing, the mash was fermented with a selected, pure yeast culture (N96) in stainless-steel tanks. Fermentation temperatures averaged out at around 28ºC. After secondary malolactic fermentation the wine was wooded for 18 months in new French-oak barriques. All the Cabernet Sauvignons produced at Alto are first bottle-matured before their release. After bottling, the 1998 vintage was cellared for 18 months.
The grapes were hand-picked in March and reached the cellar at an average of 23.5º Balling.
After destalking and crushing, the mash was fermented with a selected, pure yeast culture (N96) in stainless-steel tanks. Fermentation temperatures averaged out at around 28ºC. After secondary malolactic fermentation the wine was wooded for 18 months in new French-oak barriques. All the Cabernet Sauvignons produced at Alto are first bottle-matured before their release. After bottling, the 1998 vintage was cellared for 18 months.