Lozärn Kay's legacy |-| Magnificent wine

Stimulate your senses with notes of bay leaves, licorice, chocolate, blackberry, violets, cedarwood, and cherry tobacco. Aged in second and third-fill French oak barrels for 14 months, the fruit from its terroir is enhanced. Each variety was kept separate for the full 14 months. This is a blend of 46% Cabernet Franc, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 9% Carménère. This Bordeaux blend can stand alongside some of France’s finest wines. A great wine with an excellent finish!
 4.3/5 on Vivino

Serving suggestions:
Perfect with a beautiful piece of meat roasted on the BBQ or "braai" as they say there.

Storage:
The wine is drinkable when young but will continue to age beautifully for several years. 

Additional information:
Lozärn Winery is a true pioneer, being the first to plant Carménère in South Africa. The location was carefully selected. There are only 8 hectares of this grape variety in all of South Africa. 

In 2012, winemaker Salomé enjoyed a fine Chilean Carménère with her husband, Sybrand, and a close friend. It was love at first sip, which led to the planting of a Carménère vineyard two years later at Doornbosch. As far as they know, this is the first Carménère vineyard in South Africa. The wine bug had bitten, and the Chilean import was soon accompanied by various other Bordeaux cultivars alongside Sauvignon Blanc.
It was time to dig up some family history, which forms a parallel narrative in the Lozärn story. In 1898, a daughter was born to Robert Müller and Amy Sedgwick in Fish Hoek and was named Kathleen May. Her maternal grandfather was Captain James Sedgwick, founder of the famous Sedgwick’s Old Brown sherry enterprise. Kathleen’s childhood was split between Europe and South Africa, followed by studies at a horticultural school in Warwickshire. When World War I broke out, her father served in the German army, forcing Kathleen, known as Kay, to escape with her mother and sister on a troop train to Switzerland, where they settled in Lucerne. This picturesque town soon found a special place in Kay’s heart.

Kathleen May married Sebastian Smuts at the age of 21 in Harare, Zimbabwe. They eventually moved to Somerset West, where Sebastian managed the vast Vergelegen estate. Kay’s desire to farm led them to purchase land in the Robertson Valley in 1923, naming it after her fond memories of Lucerne: Lozärn. She primarily farmed ducks and chickens. Their only son, Ivan Sedgwick Smuts, eventually took over the farm, planting vineyards and orchards. He and his wife, Dianne Beard, had three sons, one of whom, Grant Smuts, now runs Lozärn alongside his sons Juan-Ivan and Sean-Grant, the fourth generation.
Lozärn, the Swiss-German pronunciation of Lucerne, was chosen as the winery’s brand, and the labels are adorned with a skeletal image of a duck. Granny Kay is also honored with a fine Bordeaux-style red blend called Kay’s Legacy.
The first vintages of the Lozärn range were released in late 2017 to an appreciative audience. Success came quickly, with a gold medal from the Michelangelo competition for the 2017 Sauvignon Blanc, reflecting the quality and promising a bright future for this boutique collection, crafted by winemaker Salomé Buys-Vermeulen.
The flagship Kay’s Legacy 2017 leads with 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, followed by 28% Merlot, 55% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Carménère.
The Carménère 2016 is the unique red, and this grape is also used to produce the 2017 Rosé. The alcohol content is maintained at 12.5% for the Carménère, as well as for the Rosé and Sauvignon Blanc.
Winemaker Salomé, marking her 10th year in the industry in 2018, is both passionate and dedicated to her craft, describing it as "sensory science." She sums up her achievements as follows: "After experiencing a full cycle of seasons in the vineyard… you get to bottle your love and passion and share that vintage with others… forever captured."