


Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
Big Guns of SA reds
South Africans can quickly become complacent, surrounded by world-class wineries. Wine estates are working extremely hard behind the scenes, especially after facing what was probably the most difficult two years in South African wine history. Still, premier brands don’t cut corners. Did you know that Kanonkop hand sorts every bunch of grapes that passes their conveyor belt, no matter what range the grapes are destined for? As a result, the wines are world-class, from budburst to bottle. Located on the foothills of the Simonsberg mountains outside Stellenbosch, Kanonkop Estate is poised on this unique red wine terroir that keeps the world fixated as new vintages of this globally recognized brand hits the market.
Kanonkop Wine Estate has been a premier South African Wine Estate since its very first vintage in 1973.
A 4th generation family estate, initially purchased by JW Sauer, a cabinet member in the parliament of the Union of South Africa. It was handed down from father to son for over 40 years and is now in the capable hands of its current owners Johann & Paul Krige.
The estate is named after a hillock from where a cannon was fired in the 17th Century to alert farmers in outlying areas that sailing ships plying the waters between Europe and the Far East had entered Table Bay for a stopover at Cape Town.
“This wine is pure power, with a luminosity that sculpts the fruit and foretells a wine of great longevity. I might just have found a new favourite Cabernet Sauvignon.” – Samarie Smith.
The Recipe
Lamb shank pie with red wine and rosemary
- 2 lamb shank
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 4 x sprigs of rosemary
- 4 fresh bay leaves
- olive oil
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 large brown onion chopped
- 2 medium carrots chopped
- 2 medium celery stalks, peeled and chopped
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 125ml red wine
- 200ml beef stock
- 1 tin chopped peeled tomatoes
- 1 ½ Tbsp finely chopped parsley (about 15gms)
- 1 Tbs sugar
Rub the lamb shanks with olive oil and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Lay on a small tray lined with half the rosemary and bay leaves. Top the meat with the remaining rosemary and bay leaves, cover tightly and leave in the fridge overnight. When you are ready to cook, scrape all the herbs and garlic off the shanks.
Heat a splash of olive oil in a large frying pan and brown the shanks on all sides. Once brown, remove the shanks and set aside.
In a large oven proof cast iron casserole with a lid, heat a splash of olive oil and the butter, and sauté the vegetables until soft for 5 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180C.
Add the tomato paste and cook for 10 minutes over low heat until the tomato paste darkens and develops flavour. Deglaze the dish with wine and allow this to cook off.
Add the garlic, bay leaves and the rosemary and cook for about a minute.
Add the stock and tin of tomatoes with the 4 reserved lamb shanks & their juices. Add the parsley and bring to a simmer on the stove top (10 – 15 minutes).
Put the casserole into the oven and cook for 2 hours.
Return the casserole to the heat on the stope top and remove the rosemary
stalks and bay leaves. Shred the meat off at least one shank and add this to the sauce, stirring through. Decant the meat and sauce into a pie dish and position the remaining lamb shanks if still intact.
Dust a surface generously with flour and roll out the puff pastry to fit your pie dish. Gently place the pastry over the pie filling – and where necessary cut a slit in the pastry to accommodate the bone protruding out. Scrimp the edges and bake for 20 – 30 minutes until golden brown. Serve with a glass of the Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon. Enjoy!

FIVE TIPS FOR MATCHMAKING THE KANONKOP CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2017 WITH LAMB SHANK AND ROSEMARY PIE
- Bottled age has added lovely dimensions to this wine to form a medley of flavour with rich meaty dishes.
- Red wine is rich in tannin, and the younger the wine, the more intense the experience can be as the tannin is reactive to the salivary protein in your mouth, leaving a dry, puckering feeling. Reducing the sauce will increase the saltiness and help the tannin appear softer, and suppress any bitterness
- The richness of the lamb is juxtaposed with an alluring freshness in the wine.
- The wine needs the waxiness of the flaky pastry to entice some red fruit to the fore, adding richness to coat the palate.
- There is no need to over spice your pie as the oak integration contributes a natural warm spice of cloves, pepper and mace.
Our Experience
Kanonkop was one of the first farms I visited as a student, and it will remain on my list of Top South African Wineries, upheld as this sacrosanct birthplace of extraordinary red wines. Arriving at the farm, you are circled by a collective of wet snouts as the welcoming party. Inside their private tasting room, an honouree photo wall pays homage to everyone working at Kanonkop, the dogs included. A big happy family. So, the people of Kanonkop plays a pivotal role in your experience. No bells and whistles but the sanctum of age-old traditional open concrete fermenters that continues to bring forth unrivalled examples of world-class wines. Rather than being high and deep, these fermenters are wide and shallow, ensuring maximum skin contact.
Abrie Beeslaar and his team have set the bar for a line of exceptional Pinotage’s (50% of all plantings at Kanonkop). Still, one needs to pay closer attention to their Cabernet Sauvignon, making up 35% of the planting on the estate.
We were mightily impressed with the Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 – its deep and broody colour unmistakable for anything else but Cabernet Sauvignon. The berries were small and packed with concentration, a product of another dry winter, predicting a good year for the noble red varietals.
At first, shrouded in fine graphite, almost gunpowder-like dustiness, the wine slowly succumbs to the fresh air. Then, sharing a warmer, spicy note of wet tobacco and cedar, deliberate and bold aromas of cassis and black current also steps forward. Indeed, a moody wine that holds its cards close to its chest but once a good dollop of oxygen nudges it awake, Cabernet Sauvignon lovers won’t be able to hold up a poker face. The wine is exquisite and made to be adored, so much so that Kanonkop owes it an equal pedestal to rub shoulders with its Pinotage brothers.
Matured for 24 months in 50% new and 50% second fill 225L French Nevers oak barrels, adds drama to its beguiling fruit. Plush plum and mulberry take the lead while the maturation characteristics hold the reins with aromas of dark, salted chocolate, leather, fresh earth, and tomato leaf.
As the smell of the homemade lamb shank pie fills the house, the scent of the rosemary nudges the dark fruit to the fore.
The wine enters your mouth with authority with gently crafted tannin to shape the wine but not to leave any puckering or astringent mouthfeel. What is clear is that the freshness of the wine was used as another sculpting tool, adding an ethereal elegance to what was expected to be a fuller wine. Excellently executed, a trail of salt flakes adds the final seasoning, extending the length of the wine even more. We cannot even guess where this wine is going, so if you can get your hands on 4 cases to open a bottle every year, you are sure to be rewarded with an ever-evolving wonder. Precision certainly paid off.
The Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 was rated 97 points by Winemag, and 95 points by Tim Atkin. Release date: 1 October 2021

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