Naudé’s old vine journey started one winter whilst he was looking to source Cabernet Sauvignon for the upcoming vintage. “Rosa Kruger took me to a vineyard and I agreed to take the grapes, which I thought was Cabernet Sauvignon. Laughing, Rosa asked, then what will you do with this block of Cinsault then?”
The Old Vine Project is close to Ian’s heart. “Rosa knows our wine styles. She would stand in a vineyard and know exactly where the vines will fit best.”
This is how Naudé’s journey with Cinsault and old vines started. At the time that Ian started to use old vines, it wasn’t necessarily that the grapes were “old” that provoked interest, it was the quality that stood out. To Ian it is important to showcase the terroir and not to manipulate the style. In this Rooted Series Lorraine Geldenhuys, winemaker at Elsenburg, shares her thoughts on the Naude Old Vines Cinault.