Leeu Passant is a prestigious winery that emerged from the partnership between acclaimed winemakers Chris and Andrea Mullineux and Analjit Singh’s Leeu Collection, established in 2013. 

While the Mullineuxs are widely recognized for their Swartland wines under the Mullineux label, Leeu Passant was created to explore and showcase South Africa’s historic vineyards beyond the Swartland region, with a particular focus on Stellenbosch and Franschhoek.

The winery is situated on Leeu Estates in Franschhoek. Leeu Passant’s philosophy is rooted in honoring the Cape’s fine wine heritage, drawing inspiration from classic age-worthy South African wines of the mid-20th century. They meticulously select grapes from old, often heritage, vineyards across various regions, including Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, and Wellington.

Leeu Passant produces a select range of wines, including a Stellenbosch Chardonnay, a Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon, a Wellington Cinsault, and their flagship “The Leeu Passant” dry red blend, which often features Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Cinsault. Their winemaking approach is minimalist, focusing on expressing the unique terroir and historical significance of each vineyard site.

Variety: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Vineyard details:
Showcasing the excellent 2023 vintage and planted at 300 meters on the iron and granite-rich slopes of the Helderberg Mountain in Stellenbosch, the grapes from this cool site naturally achieve the sophistication that is so alluring in our style of Cabernet Sauvignon. Maintaining elegance as well as lush concentration is paramount to our approach in the wine, to ensure that this vineyard’s terroir translates through to the final wine with supreme balance.

Dates Harvested:
The grapes from this vineyard were harvested in 3 picks between the 10th and 17th of March 2023 with a yield of four to six tons per hectare, which translated to 38 hectolitres per hectare.

Winemaking:
Upon arrival at our Leeu Passant winery in Franschhoek, the grapes were destemmed to tanks with only minimal sulphur added. After the start of indigenous yeast fermentation, the wine saw daily pumped-overs which lasted approximately 14 days, followed by extended maceration. The wine was then drained and pressed to barrels where it stayed until the latter part of the winter.

Maturation:
Our 2023 Leeu Passant Cabernet Sauvignon was first matured in 500L French oak barrels, of which a third were new, then racked and blended into larger format oak for another sixteen months prior to bottling.

Bottling Date: 25 October 2024
Production: 16 380 bottles / 1 365 cases
Wine of Origin: Stellenbosch

Technical Details at Bottling:
Alcohol 14% – RS 1.8 g/l – TA 4.7 g/l – pH 3.74

World class. This deep wine exudes beautiful aromas of black berries, mulberry leaf and hints of crushed dried thyme. Its excellent purity continues on the palate with succulent sapphire plum and silky tannins that create a luscious mouthfeel, finishing with finesse and a refined freshness.
Best served at 16-18°C.

Winemag – 93 points