Fruit for this wine was hand picked into 30lb crates with bunch selection done in the vineyard and on a sorting tray before a gentle crushing and destemming – then transferred to small open tanks. Grapes were cooled to about 40 degrees F for cold soaking. Once temperature rose naturally to about 60 degrees, cultured yeast was added. Wild ferments with this style of wine are risky – hence cultured yeast option. Open tank punch downs were done gently by hand, 3X daily for the duration of the ferment. Grapes were then pressed in a traditional 1 ton basket press. From there, the juice went straight to 300 liter barrels – mainly French and 2nd & 3rd fill primarily – for 1 year, during which time the wine was racked 2-3 times. Bottling is always unfined and very seldom filtered. This vintage was 60/23/17 Shiraz, Grenache, Mourvedre but that assemblage changes every year. Roughly 500cs were made. Black Pearl Vineyards is a single unirrigated vineyard on the slopes of Paarl Mountain.