Wines  Noble Hill Estate Blend 2010

Other recent vintages:  2020   2019   2018   2017   All vintages

From the start we decided to make wines that are juicy yet austere, elegant, and above all unique to the place they are made. Our estate blend puts to practice the knowledge, dedication, and intuition of our entire enterprise.

This wine is not for sale on our web site:
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  • South Africa    Simonsberg    Simonsberg-Paarl
  • 56%
    Cabernet Sauvignon
      35%
    Merlot
      9%
    Petit Verdot
     
  • Production
      23 barrels
  • Award
      Silver Medal, Michelangelo Wine Awards
  • Award
      Silver Medal, Veritas Awards

In the vines

A cold, wet winter in 2009 resulted in delayed budding, reduced yield, and increased berry size. Due to the softer style of the resulting wines, we selected a relatively more intense Cabernet Sauvignon component originating from a single vineyard on the estate as the basis of the blend.

The wine

From hand-sorting at harvest, each component of this blend begins its fermentation in tank and completes it in 225l French oak barrels. Only the lowest press fractions are used for blending, resulting in a wine composed almost entirely of free-run juice. We work with five family-owned cooperages located near Cognac to produce barrels matched to our intended style.

When establishing Noble Hill I was given keys to every door, cupboard, and gate in a jumbled box. Sorting through the mess, I realized that some of the keys dated to the farm's historic past, and ever since we have placed a key on each label. Different keys represent our different sources of inspiration and the different characters of each grape varietal. The 2010 Estate Blend is labeled with three keys representing Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot.

This wine elicits the aromas and tastes of fresh black currant, plum, and a touch of mint. Oak plays a well-integrated supporting role with graphite focus. This vintage was released after two years' bottle maturation and can be enjoyed from now through 2020.

  • Alcohol
      15.3% %
  • Origin
      Simonsberg-Paarl
  • pH
      3.58
  • Residual sugar
      3.1 g/l g/l
  • Total acid
      5.8 g/l g/l

Overseas agents

North America