BlankBottle, Pieter Walser
BlankBottle Sigh of Relief

Color: red 
Type: dry
Variety:  Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon
Volume: 0.75 liters 
Vineyard: BlankBottle, Pieter Walser
Vintage: 2017
Area: Stellenbosch, South Africa  
Alcohol: 14.5% vol. 
Drink temperatur: 18°C 
Description: 
Pieter Walser:
"This is the release of Sigh of Relief , mostly Cabernet Franc with bits of Malbec and Cab Sauvignon - all from the Helderberg. In October 2012, a very well-known viticulturist and winemaker was walking through his little Merlot vineyard on the upper high slopes of the Helderberg (past Cordoba farm, to the very end of the road…), when he noticed something very strange. Halfway to the top of the vineyard, at a specific point, the growth points of the vine-shoots, in the morning sunlight, showed an abrupt change in colour - from green to bronze. And there’s only one varietal that does that. And it’s NOT Merlot…

Now, as we all know, Merlot is readily available whereas Cabernet Franc is far more exotic, funky and hard to find, especially on such super terroir! So, I can just imagine the disgust of that unique piece of Cabernet Franc each time someone referred to him/her as Merlot! And at the same time the pure emotional  “Sigh of Relief” the vineyard gave when, on that specific day, someone finally discovered its true roots!

As a result of this discovery, that farmer, at that point in time, had no need for Cabernet Franc and I, on the other hand, was as always open for a great story. So the wine: mainly Stellenbosch Cabernet Franc, with a bit of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon."