Leeu Passant Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 750ml

The Leeu Passant 2023 Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested before the rains, preserving purity and finesse in a vintage that demanded careful timing. Rather than pursuing extraction, vintner Andrea Mullineux focused on mid-palate texture and aromatic nuance, revealing blue flowers, dark rose and fragile red-toned fruit wrapped in fine, articulate tannins. Fermentation carried the wine naturally to 14% alcohol, even though sugars were lower in 2023, a year marked by erosion and flooding across parts of the Cape. The vineyard lies one kilometer from the estate’s Chardonnay site on the Helderberg but sits 100 meters lower at 300 meters in elevation, where a protective hill slightly moderates the wind and warmth. Here, iron-rich soils transition into granite, creating what Mullineux describes as “a smear of iron on top,” with granite tension shaping length and structure. Aged with careful attention to oak evolution, the second year of wood allows aromatics to unfurl while the first year is dedicated to tannin polymerization. Spice and dark fruit carry through a long, poised finish. Production is 16,380 bottles.