Kanonkop 2020 "Kadette" Cabernet Sauvignon, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Opens with blackberry, cassis, and plum, layered with tobacco leaf and a touch of oak. It's full but not heavy.

The palate delivers ripe black fruit with a lift of orange peel brightness at the center, then finishes with chalky tannins and enough acidity to keep everything in line.

Kanonkop farms the lower slopes of Simonsberg on decomposed granite and clay-rich Hutton soils, ground that holds water through the dry seasons of South Africa. 2020 brought steady heat and cool nights, ideal conditions for Cabernet.

"Kadette" is sourced from vineyards beyond the estate, but it's made with the same care: fermented in concrete, aged 12 months in older French oak.

Pour it with aged cheese, grilled lamb, or on its own!