Zonnebloem Laureat, Stellenbosch

Description

Zonnebloem Laureat is a classic red wine blend from South Africa, a Cape Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.

Zonnebloem is a historic name in the South African wine industry. The farm that would later become Zonnebloem was founded in Simondium, Paarl in 1692. In 1856, then owner Petrus Malherbe divided the farm between his two sons and William Malherbe named his allocation “Zonnebloem” which translates into English as sunflower. The winery passed through various owners and was purchased by the Furter family in 1940 and when Marie Furter took over production she became South Africa’s first female winemaker. In 1963 Zonnebloem was purchased by the large South African drinks company Distell. Most recently, in 2023, Distell was taken over by Heineken and integrated into Heineken Beverages, a company created by the merger of Distell and Namibia Breweries. They also own Nederburg Wines.

Today the grapes are sourced from 330 carefully chosen plots of vines and the company produces contemporary wines with more than a nod to the classics of the past. Perhaps as a homage to the first lady winemaker of South Africa, Marie Furter, the team at Zonnebloem is all female. Cellarmaster Elize Coetzee is joined by Bonny Van Niekerk and Kelly-Marie Jacobs, the red and white winemakers respectively.

Zonnebloem Laureat is the flagship wine in the range and is a Bordeaux-inspired blend. The grapes are sourced from trellised, dryland and irrigated vineyards in the Jonkershoek, Devon Valley, Stellenbosch Kloof and Helderberg areas. Some of the vines are grown under dryland conditions while others are irrigated. Mostly southwest facing, they derive the maximum benefit from cooling maritime breezes that contribute to the slow ripening of the grapes and concentrated fruit flavours. After harvest the grapes are crushed and undergo a period of cold-soaking for a few days to ensure maximum colour extraction while limiting the extraction of harsh tannins. During the first three days of fermentation, the skins were vigorously punched down while from the fourth day, the fermenting wine was aerated. After fermentation, the free-run wine was drawn off into 300-litre barrels and allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation. Thereafter the different wines were tasted and the type of wood for maturation was selected based on the style of the wine. The barrels were a combination of first- and second-fill French and Hungarian oak. After 14 months a final selection of the best barrels was made and the wine was blended and bottled.

Zonnebloem Laureat 2015 is a blend of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc.