Uva Mira

Uva Mira recently announced the exclusive maiden release of the Fox’s Lair red – a Cabernet Franc led Cape Bordeaux Blend that seems destined to become one of the Cape’s modern classics.

“At dawn’s first light on the Helderberg mountain vineyard slopes, fleeting glimpses of the elusive Cape fox—Vulpes chama, Africa’s only true fox—are sighted within the wild pockets of Cape fynbos. With its silver-grey coat and black-tipped ears, this agile creature became the inspiration for the name Fox’s Lair.” ~ Christian Coetzee, Winemaker at Uva Mira

The wine is also a testament to Uva Mira’s enduring commitment to conservation and sustainable farming in harmony with nature. Cabernet Franc, celebrated for its aromatic finesse and structural poise, thrives in the cool, high-altitude vineyards of Uva Mira at elevations of between 350m and 500m above sea level.

“The Fox’s Lair cuvee brings together Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon in an impressively composed wine that shows floral lift, fine tannins, and a notable mineral precision” according to Christian Coetzee.

Described as a “baby OTV” by Christian Coetzee, winemaker at Uva Mira.

Uva Mira The Fox’s Lair 2022 Bordeaux Blend, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.

The maiden release of the Fox’s Lair is a delightful wine that winemaker Christian Coetzee described as a “baby OTV” when I tasted this new release with him for the first time. The blend is Cabernet Franc led with a 52% portion that’s supported by 48% of Cabernet Sauvignon that was aged in 35% new French oak barrels for 18 months. The 2022 is deliciously opulent, offering up attractive perfumed aromatics of red cherry pastille, raspberries, blueberry rock candy, black licorice, pencil shavings and flower petals, followed by a medium to full-bodied, mouth-wateringly supple, velvety palate that’s vibrant and intense, revealing yet more layers of blue and black berry fruit concentration that is framed by seamlessly integrated oaking, a vibrant acidity and silky mineral tannins. Texturally accessible and immediately generous, this new Cape Bordeaux blend over delivers. A really very, very delicious wine. Drink now to 2035+.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Uva Mira wines are imported into the UK by Museum Wines and the RSP for the Fox’s Lair is £38.99pb.

The Stellenbosch region has arguably the finest terroir in the Cape for growing the famed Bordeaux varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. Often attributed to a combination of poor sandstone or decomposed granite topsoils that make the vine struggle, ideal aspects, and the important, however cliched, cooling influence of the coastal breezes off the False Bay, the wines the Cape’s most intelligent and intuitive winemakers are now able to produce are certainly capturing the attention of the world’s top red wine connoisseurs.

The Uva Mira estate also benefits from the location of its mountain vineyards, which are 620 metres above sea level at their highest point, as the climate falls into category two on the Winkler Scale. In layman’s terms, this means it has a lot more in common with vineyards in France than many of their South African neighbours. This, alongside the decomposed granite soils, allows them to produce wines which are some of the finest expressions of terroir anywhere in the Stellenbosch region.

Uva Mira Mountain Vineyards O.T.V. Red Blend 2018, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

Located in one of Stellenbosch’s nine wards, Uva Mira has grown to become one of the most respected producers in the Helderberg, the ward closest to the cooling Atlantic Ocean. This super premium O.T.V. blend is a classy mix of 59% Cabernet Franc and 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, two of the most successful red varieties grown on the estate. This flagship blend commemorates the current owner’s father, O.T.Venter Senior, with an inspirational and prestigious cuvee that spares no expense in the pursuit of greatness. The rigorous selection of fruit has yielded a beautiful red wine with clarity, purity, precision, and distinction. The aromatics are packed full of perfumed pressed violets, sweet cedar spice, saline crème de cassis, red currants, and hints of freshly tilled earth. On the palate, it is every bit as cool and seductive as you would expect from a flagship blend like this, boasting a dense silky texture with tannins of velvet, classical layers of picante black currant, and black cherry fruits all wrapped in a considerately oaked, vibrantly fresh, intensely luxurious package. Like the other 2018 reds in the Uva Mira range, they nailed the vintage in 2018, producing some of the most attractive wines in the region. Drink now, after an hours decant, if you feel like spoiling yourself, or else bury a case in your cellar for 8 to 10+ years to experience the wine’s true inner class.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Uva Mira Wines are available exclusively in the UK from importer Museum Wines.

https://www.museumwines.co.uk/shop/uva-mira-mountain-vineyards/2017/o-t-v/