Springfield The Work Of Time 2019

Springfield Estate is a family winery in Robertson, on the Western Cape South Coast, run by the Bruwer family who trace their roots to the Loire and have farmed here for generations. The Work Of Time is a Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot, drawn from the estate's rocky, lime-rich soils. Robertson's limestone subsoil and warm inland days, tempered by cooler nights, give ripe dark fruit with retained acidity and the firm tannin these varieties need to age. The blend is barrel aged for 24 months in used French oak, a long elevage that lets the tannins polymerise and settle while slow oxygen exchange through the staves adds savoury complexity without heavy new-wood flavour. Malolactic fermentation rounds the texture and brings a fuller mouthfeel. The wine is deep garnet. The nose carries blackcurrant, plum and red currant with cedar, tobacco and a touch of cocoa. The palate is full bodied and structured, with firm, grippy tannin and a long savoury finish framed by oak and dark fruit. Decant an hour ahead and serve at 17 to 18 degrees. Built for red meat and mature cheese.