KWV The Mentors Pinotage 2006

The wine has spicy plum richness with sweet nuances of caramel, butterscotch and vanilla. Fruit follows through on the palate and with the ripe silky tannins create a wine with refined elegance.

The wine can be served with a variety of Cape Malay creamy curries or brandy snaps with a gorgonzola filling. This indicates the versatility of the wine.

variety : Pinotage [ 100% Pinotage ]

winery : The Mentors

winemaker : The Winemaking Team

wine of origin : Stellenbosch

analysis : alc : 15.01 % vol rs : 2.37 g/l pH : 3.51 ta : 5.64 g/l

type : Red style : Dry body : Medium taste : Fruity wooded

pack : Bottle closure : Cork

AWARDS

2008 Veritas Awards - Bronze

ageing : Drink now or cellar for 5 - 7 years.

in the vineyard : Exceptional quality wines were generally made from the 2006 harvest. The period from budburst to flowering was characterized by cool, windy conditions and these conditions led to weak set and thus looser, lighter bunches. This manifested in a lower yield per vine. The rest of the season was warm to very warm with dry periods during ripening and harvest. The warmer climate combined with constant windy conditions lead to decreased vine vigor and a further reduction in bunch and berry size.

about the harvest: Harvest Date: Mid February 2006

in the cellar : Pinotage is a masochist varietal, the tougher the conditions, the more concentrated the fruit. The block was harvested over two weeks which proofs the point about Pinotage. Let it hang. Do not get too anxious. The first batch did not make it into the top selection, but the riper batch which was harvested two weeks later, did. The fruit was refrigerated over night. Three selection processes ensured only the top quality fruit to be fermented â€“ selective picking in the vineyard and transport in 25kg lug boxes, a bunch selection and a berry selection. The cuvee was inoculated with NT 50 immediately after the crushing and destemming process. Fermentation at 28oC took place over 4 days. A combination of pump - over and punch - down methods were used during fermentation. The wine completed alcoholic fermentation on the skins and was racked to barrels for malolactic fermentation. The wine matured in new 225 liter Taransaud French oak and 300 litre World Cooperage American oak barrels in 60:40 ratio for approximately 18 months. The wine was racked, stabilized and bottled.

First bottling date: November 2007

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