2022 Thelema - The Mint Cabernet Sauvignon MAGNUM (1.5L)

Gyles and Barbara Webb bought a rundown fruit farm on the Helshoogte Pass in 1983 and built it into one of Stellenbosch's most respected addresses for Cabernet Sauvignon. The estate's high-altitude vineyards on the Simonsberg Mountain, farmed with a minimal-intervention approach under cellar master Gyles Webb alongside winemakers Rudi Schultz and Duncan Clarke, remain the foundation of Thelema's reputation for structured, age-worthy reds.

This particular Cabernet Sauvignon comes from a single vineyard bordered by eucalyptus trees, and that neighboring canopy is responsible for the wine's signature character. Airborne eucalyptol settles on the grapes' waxy skins and dissolves during skin-contact fermentation, giving the finished wine its distinctive minty note. The grapes are gently destemmed to keep whole berries intact, fermented in stainless steel with a mix of pump-overs and punch-downs, then aged eighteen months in French oak, about a third of it new, with just a single racking along the way.

The result offers ripe red berry and cassis fruit layered with dark chocolate and that unmistakable mint lift, finishing long with notes of mocha and fine, polished tannins. It's a natural partner for roast lamb, grilled meats, or a rich, slow-cooked stew.