Zonnebloem Fine Art Pinot Noir 1997
De Waal describes the wine as having an organic, damp leaf, truffle-like nose with gentle, delicate fruit flavours enhanced by traces of spiciness and soft vanillins. He suggests enjoying the wine with Italian dishes and grilled line fish.
variety : Pinot Noir [ Pinot Noir ]
winemaker : Jan de Waal
wine of origin : Coastal
analysis : alc : 12.90 % vol rs : 1.8 g/l pH : 3.83 ta : 5.2 g/l
in the vineyard : The grapes for this experimental wine, also made by Jan de Waal, come from south-west-facing, dryland vineyards grown in well-drained red/yellow soils. The vineyards are located on the slopes of the Devon Valley, some 500m above sea level, cooled by sea breezes from the Strand and Gordons Bay. Two clones were used to make the wine, the one usually used together with chardonnay in the making of Cap Classique sparkling wines and the other, most often used to make varietal pinot noirs.
about the harvest: In both instances the grapes were hand-picked and delivered to the cellars in late January, before the intensity of the summer heat.
in the cellar : Grapes from the two clones were separately fermented. After pressing the grapes from the sparkling wine clone, the skins were mixed with the mash of grapes pressed from the red clone. The intention was to ensure a deep, luminous plum colour and to improve the acidity of the wine. After malolactic fermentation in steel tanks, the wine went into medium-toasted, 225-litre Nevers oak for six months to soften its tannins and create an elegant but fruity wine redolent of cherries and strawberries. After six months in wood, the wine went into stainless steel tanks for 18 months for further ageing. Thereafter it was bottled and spent nine months in the bottle before release.
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