2024 Craven - Cinsault (750ml)

Craven Wines is a winemaking partnership between husband-and-wife team Mick and Jeanine Craven, who met while working a harvest together in Sonoma in 2007. After several years traveling and learning winemaking across Australia, Europe, the United States, and South America, the couple settled in Stellenbosch in late 2011, drawn by the region's diversity of sites. Mick continues to work as head winemaker at Mulderbosch while running Craven alongside Jeanine, with a shared philosophy built around single vineyards, minimal cellar intervention, and farming that favors cover crops over irrigation.

This Cinsault comes from the Rustenhof vineyard in the Faure subregion of Stellenbosch, a dryland bush vine block planted in the late 1970s and 1980s on granitic sand just a few miles from the ocean. The grapes are destemmed, an unusual choice for the Cravens' reds, since Cinsault's naturally low acidity holds up better without whole clusters. Fermentation happens with native yeasts in open concrete tanks, and the wine is pressed back into concrete for several months of aging before an early bottling meant to preserve its brightness.

Expect cranberry, pomegranate, and red currant, lifted by rhubarb, bay leaf, and a dusting of white pepper. The palate stays light-bodied and energetic, with fine tannins and a saline, chalky finish. Serve it lightly chilled with grilled sausages, roast chicken, or a simple margherita pizza.