L'Avenir Single Block Pinotage 2012

Ripe black cherries, plums and chocolate are predominant on the nose, mixed with floral notes and traces of tobacco. Rich plummy fruit and complex oak flavours linger in the mouth, ending with ample soft tannins. Will mature well over the next decade.

Appearance: Deep purple red
Nose: Intense spicy fruitcake, supported by sweet oak characters and delicate floral notes
Palate: Dynamic and rich fruit flavours are complimented by a full-body structure, fine tannins and a powerful finish


variety : Pinotage [ 100% Pinotage ]
winemaker : Tinus Els
wine of origin : Stellenbosch
analysis : alc : 14.5 % vol  rs : 2.2 g/l  pH : 3.6  ta : 5.2 g/l  
type : Red  taste : Fruity  
pack : Bottle  size : 750ml  closure : Screwcap  

in the vineyard : Estate-grapes (L’Avenir) Stellenbosch – Glenrosa type (decomposed shale with clay underneath). 10.49hectare of Pinotage is planted with the oldest vines established in 1985, to the most recent planting in 2007. All vines are trellised after changing our philosophy in trellising all bush vines to low trellised system. Supplementary irrigation is applied during the warmer summer months when the soil water table is parched. There are 8 blocks of Pinotage situated on various aspects of the large hill that comprises L’Avenir, allowing certain blocks to be isolated for specific vinification styles and premium wines. We selected Block 2 (1.2 hectare) as single vineyard selection for the Single Block Pinotage wine. It is also dry land vineyards. The Indian Ocean is less than 20km away, and gentle afternoon sea breezes drift over the farm and exert a cooling influence against the late afternoon Cape sun.

about the harvest: Harvest date: February 2012

in the cellar : Yeast: Selected strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Exotics)
Fermentation: 8 days at up to 28°C in stainless steel tanks and partly in new oak barrels
Maceration: 3 days cold maceration at 15°C before fermentation and press at 8 Brix/Balling
Malolactic fermentation: 100% in new French barrels
Maturation: 18 months in New French Never and Allier oak barrels, and stainless steel with as long as possible bottle ageing
Fining: None
Vintage: A warm dry summer resulted in excellent healthy ripe grapes. Yields were relatively low and good concentration of flavours was experienced in all the red varieties - an
exceptional vintage for Pinotage with long maturation potential.

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