An excellent year in the capelands even though growing conditions were cooler than in previous vintages. The 2000 winter was the third in a row featuring very dry, warm weather. This led to uneven and delayed budding, resulting in significantly reduced yields, especially in Chardonnay vineyards. Summer was warm but not scorchingly hot and even the traditional February heatwave was tempered by low nighttime temperatures. The overall view is that while quantity might be down, quality is very good to excellent. The reds in particular are well-structured and display very good depth of fruit. Kanonkop's Beyers Truter compares 2001 with great red wine years such as 1974, 1986, 1991 and 1995.