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EDITORIAL
FRANÇOIS GILBERT - EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
THE EXTRAORDINARY BOOM OF STELLENBOSCH
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Cabernet Sauvignon has been grown in South Africa
for over a hundred years, but its plantings remained
quite limited until the end of the 20 th century. It is now
the most widely planted red grape variety and the Stellenbosch
region is its cradle. It has helped develop Bordeauxstyle
blends which are popular both in South Africa and
elsewhere, and is now being reinvented in a less powerful
iteration to produce outstanding wines.
Stellenbosch offers the ideal soil types and weather
patterns to produce world-class Cabernet. The mild
temperatures with sufficient sunshine hours throughout
the day, soils with good drainage comprising a good
amount of granite, schist and sandstone, and fairly
moderate rainfall combine to ensure the variety can
thrive effortlessly. Elevations across the region range
from 150 to 600 metres above sea level with an average
temperature of 16.4°C and annual rainfall of between 600
and 800 mm, which is virtually identical to Bordeaux!
Also, even if rain is lacking during the summer months,
winegrowers can store surplus water for irrigation if
necessary. And South Africa has some of the oldest
vineyard soils in the world, which also happen to be the
poorest and least fertile – adding one more string to the
country’s Cabernet Sauvignon bow.
We have undertaken a major series of tastings (pages
121-124) from which we have selected 55 wines, including
38 that were rated 90/100 or above so that we can
convince you once and for all of Cabernet Sauvignon’s
quality in the region. And it seems pretty clear that it has
a great future ahead of it!
4 AUTUMN 2023 • GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE