Mixed Case Craven Wines
MIXED CASE : CRAVEN WINES 4
Each case contains 2 of the following wines:
Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, WO Stellenbosch. $45
From west-facing 1999 planted vines on Polkadraai's Karibib Vineyard's decomposed granites, this was early picked and 70% whole cluster, fermented native and on skins for a short time before moving into neutral French barrel. This opens into black cherry, wild raspberry, dusty graphite, seasoned with wild mint and scrubby wild herbs, all around a pure black cherry core. Tannins are characteristically granitic grippy and finely structural, and acidity is easily capable of carrying this to a lingering slate finish.
Cinsault 2022, WO Stellenbosch. $43
From 32 year old dry farmed bush vines on decomposed granites and silica sands of Stelly's Rustenhof vineyard, this is one of the Bredall family farms that the Cravens started using in 2017. They share the site with with Bernard Bredall and his striking Sons of Sugarland label. Rustenhof is one of the region's most coastal vineyards, and you feel it in the freshness of this lifted Cinsault. 2022 is the second time this wine was aged entirely in concrete, a move Mick and Jeanine have been working towards for some time. Destemmed and whole berry, this was native fermented and rested in concrete, where it remained until bottling. Wild cherry, wild raspberry, mustard seed flood this lighter red, lit with crunchy acidity, scented with fynbos and white pepper, and framed with finely sticky tannins through a buzzy, medicinal kissed finish. Beauty energy and texture, this is most obviously a grape very well suited to concrete. Drinking beauty now.
Syrah The Firs Vineyard 2021, WO Stellenbosch. $45
From Stellenbosch's Devon Valley, and its iron rich clay soils at 300m, this clone S22 Syrah was planted in 2002. Unlike Jeanine and Mick's other reds, Syrah is always entirely whole bunch. This rested with skins for 9 days, before moving into open top stainless bins for foot trodding and native ferment. It then spends 10ish months in old 500L barrels (soon to be concrete). Wild black raspberry, dusky black plum, medicinal black cherry is woven with cracked pepper, and wrapped with finely sticky tannins through a saline washed finish. Somewhat an outsider in their portfolio, yet feels entirely Craven.
Price:
6 bottles for $295 + HST, including delivery in GTA, and most larger cities in Ontario.
*prices outside of main cities may incur additional delivery charges.
Please note we cannot process wine orders outside of Ontario. Wine can only be ordered from, and shipped to, an address in Ontario.
A global affair, husband and wife team Mick (Aussie) and Jeanine (South African) met while working at a winery in Sonoma before returning to Stellenbosch to source fruit for their natural wines. They make only single vineyard, single variety wines, highlighting different terroirs around Stellenbosch.
"We chose South Africa, as we think there is a lot of potential here to make amazing wines. We live in Stellenbosch and our hearts are here in this town, which is why we only make wines from the Stellenbosch region as we want to be within a heartbeat of the vines. We want to make wines which are interesting, both stylistically and by varietal, but also wines which have a sense of place and express where they come from. We have isolated particular vineyard sites, for their unique soils and micro-climates, where we work with the growers to ensure that we get the best results from the particular sites. All our wines will come from single vineyards around Stellenbosch." - Mick Craven, Craven Wines
