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Tasting Notes
Medium-plus bodied with plus acidity and pronounced tannins, the Stark-Condé cabernet has delineated varietal flavors of black currant, red berry, tobacco, and eucalyptus, followed by minerals and spicy dark chocolate on the complex finish.
Body is the impression of a wines weight, density, or its ‘mouth-feel’. Some wines feel weighty, or full bodied, while others feel light bodied. Wine runs the gamut from light to full, with most falling somewhere in between.
TANNIN
Low
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Tannin can range greatly in wine, but it is necessary to some degree, and a necessary constituent for red wines to age well. In high amounts, it can cause a drying affect, which is sensed mostly on the gums and tongue. Tannin is a natural preservative extracted from grape skins, otherwise known as polyphenols that are micronutrients and antioxidants with potential health benefits.
ACIDITY
Soft
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Acidity is a foundational component in wine. In fact, low acidity, or ‘flabby’ wine (as the term suggests) is a negative. You can sense acidity mainly on the sides of your tongue. Acidity generally ranges from balanced to high. Crisp acidity adds freshness, making your mouth water. Acidity is a necessary element and helps to balance other components.
SWEETNESS
Dry
Off Dry
Medium Dry
Medium Sweet
Very Sweet
Most wines are characterized as dry to off-dry, but there are some grape varietals, like Riesling, that run the gamut from dry to sweet. The tip of the tongue mainly detects sweetness, which is why it is often the primary characteristic detected. Sweetness is derived from residual sugar that did not ferment into alcohol.
ALCOHOL
13.5%
Alcohol is the by-product of fermentation. Differing grape varieties have differing potential alcohol levels, but regardless warmer areas result in riper grapes resulting in higher alcohol. Alcohol level is an objective number, but its affect on its palate impression is largely determined with how well integrated and balanced it is with other components.
In a world where most Cabernet is a powerhouse, the wine revels in its elegance.
GRAPE VARIETAL(S)
Cabernet Sauvignon
100%Ca-ber-NAY So-vee-NYON
Cabernet Sauvignon origins are from the Gironde in southwest France, but is now planted across the world in climates that accommodate this late ripening grape. It is the dominant grape in wines made in Bordeaux’s Médoc and Graves regions. This small, thick-skinned grape, produces darkly colored wine, high in tannin and relatively high in acidity with hallmark aromas of blackcurrant and can stylistically change from austere in its youth to lush depending on the region, and winemaking style.
Originally raised in Stellenbosch, Hans Schroder attended university in Japan where he met his wife, Midori. They lived in Japan for 25 years raising 3 children before returning to South Africa post-Apartheid to purchase a 240-hectare estate in Jonkershoek. Later, joined by their daughter Marie and her husband José, they launched Stark-Condé Wines in 1998.
This family run winery has vineyards of decomposed granite and clay that span 500-2000 feet above sea level with terroir that offers distinctly different characteristics for the resultant wines.
The cabernet of Stark-Condé is defined less by power and more by restraint with medium body and structure that speaks to the high altitude vineyards.
Black Currant
Tobacco
Eucalyptus
Organic
