FRANSCHHOEK CELLAR THE LAST ELEPHANT 2017

The town of Franschhoek was originally called Olifants Hoek meaning Elephant's Corner, and named after the herds of elephant that roamed the surrounding valley and mountains. The original mountain pass out of Franschhoek was built on an old elephant trail that carried these majestic creatures between their summer and winter pastures.

Characterful ultra-premium vineyard sites throughout the Coastal region of Stellenbosch are selected for the making of the Last Elephant. They are relatively sheltered from the prevailing breezes coming off False Bay and therefore enjoy a slightly warmer but still mostly maritime climate. The vineyards are planted on deep, well-drained soils with a good clay component and excellent structure. Vineyard management is tailored to ensure premium quality, concentrated fruit, which includes green harvesting and shoot thinning. 160-205m above seal level.

The grapes were hand-picked and fermented in closed tanks at temperatures of 25-28 °C. They young wine received a post-fermentation maceration of 35 days, followed by malolactic fermentation in stainless steel. On completion of the malolactic fermentation the wine was racked into 100% new French oak. The wine was then matured in oak for 14 Months, followed by bottle maturation to gain softness and complexity before release.