Pinotage

A very elegant and easy drinking expression of Pinotage, the aroma reminds of mulberries and ripe plums, nuanced with a smoky undertone. The wine shows a lot of juicy red fruit on the palate with subtle floral and fynbos notes on the finish. An elegant and supple tannin structure will allow the wine to mature well over the next 5 years. This wine is delightful on its own but can be successfully paired with the quintessential smoky South African braaied meats as well as their vegetable alternatives, or even an aromatic curry.

The grapes for this blend come primarily from the Stellenbosch area and are blended with selected parcels from regions such as Durbanville. After four consecutive dry winter seasons, the excellent rainfall in 2019 did manage to offer some relief. The effect of additional water could be seen immediately in the vineyards, and we had a particularly good growing season with more vigour. This meant our viticulture team had to pay careful attention to canopy management to ensure even ripening and that healthy bunches are delivered to the winery on harvest day.

After picking, the grapes were destemmed and transferred to tank for “whole-berry” fermentation. Half of the wine was fermented in open cement tanks with regular punch downs and pump overs to extract tannin and colour. The remaining half was fermented in closed stainless steel tank and pumped over every 8 hours. The wines were pressed before complete alcoholic fermentation to ensure soft tannins and avoid any over extraction. The wine was matured in 2nd and 3rd fill barrels for 12 months.