Cinsault Blossom Steward 2024 Aurelien Petit

The Cinsault Blossom Steward 2024 from Aurélien Petit is the lightest and most floral red cuvée from this French winemaker now based in the Swartland, and among the most moving in his entire range. Its name is a poetic and delicate image that perfectly suits Cinsault in its finest expression on granite: a keeper of flowers, a preserver of lightness, in a vineyard where heat and drought could have pushed towards power. A clear and courageous stylistic choice.

The grape variety and terroir

Drawn to the world's great terroirs, Aurélien Petit ventured into the Swartland to understand how, amid an arid Mediterranean climate and the constant threat of extreme weather, this South African region could produce such quality wines. He discovered old vines defying drought, courageous viticulture, visionary winemakers, minuscule yields, and juices of rare intensity. Cinsault is the most precious and unexpected red grape variety of the Swartland: a Mediterranean variety of African origin, it produces on the granite and schist of this semi-arid region wines of such lightness, freshness, and peony florality that they defy all expectations. Its old vines, planted in goblet form without irrigation on poor granitic soils with naturally minuscule yields, concentrate their aromas with a rarity and precision that young or irrigated vines cannot reproduce. Working exclusively with winemakers with whom he develops close relationships and who have become his friends, Aurélien vinifies small quantities of grapes from old vines. He adopts an admirably minimalist approach in the cellar, opting for wild yeasts, minimal inputs, gentle pressing, and six months of ageing. His wines above all express freshness, energy, and pure expression of place and terroir.

Tasting profile

The colour is a delicate ruby red with rosy and violet reflections, a lightness and transparency that immediately announce the airy and graceful character of the wine. The nose is delicate and seductive from the first moment: aromas of peony flowers, fresh rose, and violet assert themselves with striking floral freshness, accompanied by crunchy and juicy red fruits, wild strawberry, raspberry, and tart cherry, with a slight herbaceous note and discreet granitic minerality in the background. On the palate, lightness is the first sensation: the Cinsault expresses itself with remarkable suppleness, fluidity, and drinkability, carried by tannins of filigree fineness and fresh, well-integrated acidity that bring momentum and vibrancy to delicate and precise matter. The finish is clean, floral, and slightly saline, with a persistence and purity that confirm the singularity of this granite terroir beneath a South African sky. A red wine for contemplation and pleasure, to open without ceremony yet with the care that all rare and precious things deserve.

The winemaker

Having refined his craft across the world's great regions, from Burgundy to the Jura, the Rhône Valley to Argentina, and Portugal to New Zealand, Aurélien Petit has honed his vision of wine and found his home in the Swartland in South Africa. This region renowned for its old vines, schist and granite, shaped by extreme conditions, perfectly matches his outsider temperament, making Aurélien Petit an ambassador of Swartland wines.

Food and wine pairing

This Cinsault Blossom Steward pairs beautifully with fine charcuterie, fresh pasta with tomatoes and herbs, roast chicken salad with citrus, beef carpaccio with Parmesan shavings, mushrooms sautéed with garlic and parsley, or a selection of lightly aged soft cheeses. Served cool between 14 and 15 °C, it will reveal all the floral lightness and natural crispness of a Swartland Cinsault made with delicacy and absolute conviction.