Colour: Deep, inky-dark red.

Bouquet: Intoxicating aromas of fynbos, pencil-shavings and a slight salty, maritime presence with hints of black-currant.

Taste: Flavours of black-currant follow through from the nose with plum, dried fig and nuances of tobacco leaf. The tannins are firm, muscular and complex. This wine is ready to enjoy now but will age beautifully over the next 10-15 years.

2023

• Platter's 5 star
• Platter's Red Blend Wine of the year
• Veritas Gold
• Wine mag 93 points

2022

• Michelangelo International Wine and Spirit competition Gold
• Tim Atkin 93 points
• James Suckling 92 points

The Alto Estate Blend pairs perfectly with smoked red meat and beef fillet, as well as with mature cheese, rich poultry and Spanish or Italian style dishes.

Alcohol: 14.5% by vol

Residual sugar: 3.0 g/l

Total acidity: 6.0 g/l

pH: 3,61

Extract: 32.8 g/l

Alto, situated on the slopes of the Helderberg Mountain in the Stellenbosch district, dates back to 1693 when it was part of a much larger farm called Groenrivier (Green River), granted to a free burgher by Governor Simon van der Stel. In 1919 the owner of the farm, Hennie Malan, sold off half the land to his brother-in-law and set about planting vines on his remaining portion, focusing exclusively on red varieties. He named the farm Alto, a reference to its altitude (some slopes rise as high as 500m above sea level) and his striving for excellence. The cellar was built in 1920. Alto has 93 hectares under vines. The trellised vineyards cling to the high granite slopes, ideal for the cultivation of red wine varieties. Harvesting at Alto traditionally only starts at the end of February / beginning March due to the cooling influence of the southerly breezes during this time. This ensures gradual ripening of the grapes and contributes to the development of delicate flavour in the fruit.