Uitkyk Carlonet, Simonsberg Stellenbosch

Description

Uitkyk Carlonet is a red wine made by winemaker Estelle Lourens at this famous South African wine estate. Sadly the Uitkyk wine estate was sold to Warwick Estate in 2018 so there will be no more Uitkyk wines. Grab them while you can.

Uitkyk (pronounced ‘ate cake’) is one of the most beautiful estates in the Cape. The name means “look out”, which it does – from the southwestern slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain, where it is situated, across the Cape Flats to Table Mountain in the distance. Uitkyk Estate was founded in 1712 when it was first granted to Jan Oberholzer, but vines were first planted only in 1929 when an immigrant Prussian novleman, Hans von Carlowitz, bought the estate.

The estate became famous for the Uitkyk Carlonet blend, originally a blend of Cinsault and Cabernet Sauvignon however, these days it is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes for Carlonet come from Uitkyk’s “Bordeaux Block” which was planted between 1989 and 1993 and a block of Cabernet Sauvignon bush vines planted in 1999. All the vines are planted in a deep red soil of decomposing granite. After fermentation and malolactic fermentation the wine is racked into 300 litre oak barrels (92% French) with a combination of 61% new, 9% second-fill and 30% third-barrels. The wine then undergoes a period of maturation of 17 to 19 months.