Description
CELLAR INFORMATION Guiding our Grapes from Vine to Wine Each individual barrel’s evolution is closely monitored throughout the total maturation period which, for our red varietals, can last for a period of up to 19 months. VINEYARD INFORMATION With the first winter rainfall occurring at the end of May, it was one of the driest winters, which made for a challenging year. Winter was late but cold enough to ensure good dormancy in our vines. Hot temperatures from October resulted in earlier budding than 2015. Berries were smaller than usual with pleasing flavour concentration which made for a truly unique vintage.
Reviews
Greg Sherwood 94
The Mira Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is the current release from this beautiful high-altitude Helderberg boutique wine property in Stellenbosch. With vineyards situated circa 620 metres above sea level and no more than a few kilometres from the Atlantic Ocean in False Bay, you can really see why this wine shows such an incredible youthful vibrancy and perfumed freshness. It was matured for 18 months in French oak barrels, of which 40% were new, yet the oak is seamlessly integrated, allowing the complex aromatics to truly resonate, revealing notes of pressed violets, red and black cherries, creme de cassis, sweet cherry tobacco, wet tannery leather, and intense saline maritime oyster shell nuances. On the palate, the fresh mouth-watering acids derived from the decomposed granite soils make this an incredibly lithe, intense expression of Cabernet Sauvignon – powerful, saline, and pure fruited without losing any of the grape s intrinsic elegance or grandeur. A truly spellbinding red wine from an iconic South African vintage that offers insane value for money. Drink now and over the next 10 to 12+ years. – Greg Sherwood MW. [Greg Sherwood, 01/01/2023]
Platter’s 93
[Platter’s, 01/01/2023]
Producer Profile
Given owner Toby Venter’s assumed need for speed, as CEO of LSM Distributors, responsible for Porsche and Lamborghini in South Africa, as well as the owners of Kyalami race track, his purchase of Uva Mira Mountain Vineyards in 2013, up against the slopes of the Helderberg seems in direct contrast to this high octane lifestyle.
Everything in wine is time. Uva Mira is named for a famous star in the constellation of Cetus (a Greek sea monster who was offered the princess Andromeda to appease Poseidon but was slain by Perseus either by sword or using Medusa’s head which turned him to stone – the details are complicated and murky). The giant red star named ‘the wonderful’ or ‘Mira’ in Latin undergoes a 332-day cycle of fading into obscurity, becoming bright, and then fading again (over almost a year), drawing parallels between winemaking and stargazing. The patience inherent to growing grapes, understanding the terroir, blending, and maturation, the once-a-year opportunity to harvest, and the celebration once you can taste the literal fruits of your labour – explains the name Uva Mira, Latin meaning The Wonderful Grape.
