La Motte Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 (South Africa) - Wine Review

Happy New Year! For my first wine of 2022, tonight's red wine review is an excellent, sustainably crafted, vegetarian, and vegan-friendly Cabernet Sauvignon from South Africa. It's a new arrival to the LCBO that should be on shelves across Ontario next weekend as part of the January 8th LCBO VINTAGES Release.

It is produced by the historic La Motte Estate, where viticulture was first established on the farm by Huguenot descendant Gabriël du Toit in 1752 with an initial planting of 4,000 vines. La Motte is situated in the beautiful Franschhoek Valley in South Africa's Cape winelands and is believed to be named after the French village La Motte d'Aigues in Provence, which was home to several Huguenots who left their country for South Africa in 1688. A number of these French refugees were granted land in the region that later became known as Franschhoek, which means "French Corner".

Today, La Motte is one of three wine estates owned by the Rupert family after it was acquired by the late Dr. Anton Rupert in 1970. Dr. Rupert was an internationally respected industrialist who established a global business empire and was also a committed conservationist. Following the acquisition in 1970, La Motte was redeveloped and restored to become a leading global wine producer and sought-after tourist destination with a number of historic buildings and sites that date back to the 18th century.

Environmental management is a high priority at La Motte. They practice sustainable farming along with other long-term strategies, and also consider the environmental impact in day-to-day operations. Among the many green certifications and initiatives, in 2003 La Motte became one of the first wine estates to be awarded the coveted ISO 14001 Environmental Management Certification. As a member of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), social responsibility is also top of mind La Motte as they seek to uplift and empower its people. Today, La Motte is owned by Dr. Rupert's daughter, Hanneli Rupert-Koegelenberg and her husband Hein Koegelenberg and the Estate is known for producing fine wines of exceptional quality.

This red wine is made with 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that was grown in two areas - Franschhoek (67%), which yields pure berry fruit and creamy texture, and from Stellenbosch (33%) which provides volume and light minty spice notes. Grapes from different blocks were fermented and aged separately, with fermentation occurring in stainless steel tanks. The wine was aged in a mix of new and used 300 L French oak barrels for 16 months, followed by blending and bottling in November 2019. Although the 2018 growing season was challenging due to extreme drought conditions leading to reduced yields, the end result was ripe, concentrated berries of excellent quality. Let's see how this 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon from South Africa is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

LA MOTTE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018 - WO Western Cape, South Africa (#21155) (XD) - $24.95
This lovely 100% Cabernet Sauvignon has a medium-high intensity nose offering earthy minerals, dark berry fruit, currant, and cassis aromas accented with wood spice. It's elegantly structured with firm, yet approachable tannins on the full-bodied palate with fresh, vibrant, and lemony acidity. Flavours of dark berry, currant, earthy mineral, and wood spice are nicely balanced with touches of minty dried herbs. Structured and slightly tangy with earthy, woody, and cocoa notes on the long finish. Enjoyable now, but I would hold for at least 3+ years. Highly recommend buy. Score: 91 pts

Other fine wines from La Motte Estate can be ordered through their Agent - Noble Estates Wines & Spirits.