Landskroon Paul Hugo Red 2020

Landskroon Paul Hugo Red 2020

Landskroon Wine Estate is situated on the south west facing slopes of the iconic Paarl Mountain and has been owned and managed by the De Villiers Family for five generations.

Carrie Adams, Chairperson, with Cabernet Franc Challenge Judges
Greg Mutambe & Lizette Tolken

The recent Cabernet Franc Challenge 2022 had 8 entries of Cabernet Franc blend wines. The Landskroon Paul Hugo Red 2020 is such a wine with 50% component of Cabernet Franc and it took a Gold Medal and the Best Value Award. Great news for a wine like this which certainly has a high quality to price ratio.

Once harvested, the grapes are brought in to the cellar where they are destalked and crushed. The grapes were taken to closed fermenters where, before fermentation, some of the free run juice was run off [The French call this saignée or bleeding] to increase the ratio of skin to juice. After fermentation, the wine was matured with French and America Oak Staves, with a small component in previous fill French Oak Barrels. The Landskroon Paul Hugo Red 2020 was then blended and bottled.

French Oak Staves

Pour

From a Bordeaux shaped bottle, closed with a screw cap. The livery is simple, elegant and explanatory. In the glass, the wine is an opaque plum in colour which pales out to ruby at the edges. This Cabernet Franc, Shiraz and Merlot blend has aromas which segue into the palate. Red and black and blue berries, cherries, and plums. Beautiful acidity line from entry through the full mid-palate and well into the smooth well balanced aftertaste. A quaffer to be taken seriously. Made for now drinking and into the next 3 to 5 years.

Dalewood Fromage Simond – a ‘lekker’ Cheese

Pair

As I said earlier the Landskroon Paul Hugo Red 2020 is a great quaffer. Quite a good idea to chill it for about 30 minutes in an ice bucket. This is a wine for something off the braai, which for me would include chicken. Good with well flavoured seafood too. My favourite way of drinking this wine is with a tranche of cheese. Down the road from Landskroon is Dalewood Fromage, a Cheese Estate making fine chees from their own Jersey Diary herd. Their Simond, named for the first protestant priest in the area, Pierre Simond, is what they call a ‘lekker’ cheese. That it is.

Read more about Dalewood Fromage – CLICK HERE

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