Andries believes that the essence of a great Pinot Noir is the purity of fruit and the structure of the wine. The colour of this wine is deeper than previous vintages - a beautiful garnet. The nose has delicate violet perfume aromas combined with dark cherry, red berry and ribena berry. On the palate these characteristics follow through combining with lovely aniseed, iodine saltiness. The fine grainy tannin adds to the allure of this wine which is more feminine than previous vintages.
The natural acidity makes it a perfect partner with a diversity of dishes. Game fish, game birds and venison work very well, as does grilled beef and strong, hard cheese.
in the vineyard : Currently there are 18.5 hectares planted to Pinot Noir on the estate, which equates to 22.8% of the total plantings. Clones include 667, 777, 113, 115 and PN5. The first vines were planted in 1989 and the youngest blocks in 2004. Vines range in age from 4 to 23 years. The soil is predominantly decomposed Bokkeveld Shale with underlying clay layers of varying depths. Vine orientation is North/South on North east and South facing slopes and North west/South east on the South facing slopes. Height above sea level ranges from 280 to 400 meters.
in the cellar : Only Burgundian clones (667, 113,115 and 777) are used. Extensive individual berry sorting was done by hand prior to crushing. This was followed by cold maceration at 12° - 14° Celsius for 4 - 5 days. The fermentation was allowed to start naturally. 80% was then inoculated with selected strains of Burgundian yeast, while the rest was left to continue naturally. During the fermentation, the skin cap was punched through by hand or pumped over 2 - 3 times per day. The wine was transferred to French oak barrels where malolactic fermentation took place. (15% new wood, the rest 2nd, 3rd and 4th fill.) Maturation in oak was for 11 months, on the lees for the full period. After tasting and blending trials, the wine was racked (displaced using Nitrogen gas rather than pumping), assembled and prepared for bottling.
Production: 1425 case (X12)
Release Date: June 2013