Kleine Zalze Cellar Selection Pinotage 2012

Name: Kleine Zalze Cellar Selection Pinotage 2012
Brand: Kleine Zalze Cellar Selection
SKU: 35461

Through blending the different terroirs a subtle and stylish wine were created. The wine shows a deep red colour with intense mulberry and black plum fruit flavours. Maturation in the French oak barrels added a soft complexity with well integrated firm tannins. Subtle and stylish with a hint of spiciness which originated from the cool climate grapes.

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variety : Pinotage [ 100% Pinotage ]

winery : Kleine Zalze Wines

winemaker : Johan Joubert

wine of origin : Coastal Region

analysis : alc : 14.66 % vol rs : 2.8 g/l pH : 3.36 ta : 6.3 g/l fso2 : 25 mg/l

type : Red style : Dry taste : Fruity wooded

pack : Bottle size : 0 closure : Cork

Proud of our style of difference, Kleine Zalze continues to seek for elegance, spiciness and soft tannins. Both the Stellenbosch and old bush vine Durbanville Pinotage contributes to this uniqueness.

in the vineyard : The grapes were harvested from two blocks from Stellenbosch (False Bay) and the Durbanville region facing the Atlantic Ocean. The 2012 vintage were 1 week later in ripening in comparison to the previous year and grapes were left to hang longer. This ensured pure varietal fruit with high notes of spice and a balanced acidity due to the terroir identity of the cool ripening vineyards. The pips coloured already at 23.5° B and at 80% veraison green bunch dropping followed to ensure that the crop ripened evenly.

about the harvest: Picking took place early in the morning at sugar levels of 24° - 25º B with optimum ripeness to bring out only the soft, ripe tannins of Pinotage grapes. The crop varied between 6 - 9 tons per hectare from 31 year old bush vine and 11 year old trellised grapes.

in the cellar : After picking, the grapes underwent 3 - 6 days of cold maceration in the tanks. Two thirds of the wine was fermented in punched down open epoxy cement tanks. After a three day cold soaking period, the remaining 33% was fermented in closed stainless steel tanks and pumped over every 4 hours. Fermenting dry the two different styles of Pinotage went through malolactic fermentation in barrel. We used second and third fill barrels for the traditional punch-down style of Pinotage and fourth and fifth fill French oak barrels for the wine that were fermented in stainless steel. Both the wines from Stellenbosch and Durbanville matured for 14 months before final blending. This ensured a Pinotage style of wine with an elegant expression of cool climate fruit and soft tannins.

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