David Finlayson Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
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Suckling
James
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Produced from four outstanding clones of Cabernet Sauvignon planted on different sites in the Stellenbosch area. Made to exude absolute purity of varietal character and as such display true Cabernet Sauvignon cassis and blackcurrant flavors. The wine has a fresh, minty herbaceousness backed by mocha vanilla oak. Firm structured tannins and a long finish on the palate show good ageing potential.
Blend: 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A perfumed nose of crushed blackcurrants, blackberries, gravel and toasted herbs. Full-bodied with creamy tannins. Black-fruited and rather salty on the palate. Even balance with a mouthwatering finish.
Other Vintages
2019-
Suckling
James
Three generations of Finlayson's have played an important role in the Cape's modern wine industry. Dr Maurice Finlayson, a pathologist originally from Inverness in Scotland started the family wine business at Hartenberg farm in Stellenbosch. It was here that his son Walter started his career that would take him on to Blaauwklippen where he twice won the award of "South African winemaker of the year".
Walter then started and built up Glen Carlou in Paarl and was joined by his son David in 1994. David qualified as a winemaker at Elsenburg Agricultural college in Stellenbosch as Dux student and then proceeded to travel the world gaining winemaking experience at first in Australia (Peter Lehmann Wines) and then in France at the world renowned Chateau Margaux.
In 2004, having sold Glen Carlou, David bought the farm Woodlands, a portion of the original Edgebaston farm, which is situated near the fringes of the town on the slopes of the Simonsberg facing North East through to South East.
It was decided to rename the farm and wines to Edgebaston as this was the area in England that his mother was born and raised in. David oversees the daily management of the vines and winemaking with a direct hands-on approach.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
South Africa’s most famous wine-producing district, Stellenbosch, surrounds the historic town with the same name; fine winemaking here dates back to the late 1600s. Its valleys of granite, sandstone and alluvial loam soils between the towering blue-grey mountains of Stellenbosch, Simonsberg and Helderberg have the capacity to produce beautiful wines from many varieties. The climate is warm Mediterranean, tempered by the cool Atlantic air of nearby False Bay.
Perhaps most well-known for its Pinotage and Bordeaux blends, Stellenbosch also produces noteworthy wines from Syrah, Chenin blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc. The district’s wards—Banghoek, Bottelary, Devon Valley, Jonkershoek Valley, Papegaaiberg, Polkadraai Hills and Simonsberg-Stellenbosch—all produce distinctive wines from vines with relatively low yields.