Southern Right is re-defining Pinotage with this intense classically styled, clay-grown wine, packed with complex berry fruit, beautiful tannins and subtle wood spice. Full ripeness and the longer hang-time afforded by cooler sites, combined with the complex, more classic fruit aromas and structure resulting from clay-rich soil, make this wine a highly individual expression of South Africa’s unique grape variety.
variety : Pinotage [ 92.2% Pinotage, 4.4% Malbec, 2.3% Syrah, 1.1% Petit Verdot ]
winemaker : Hannes Storm
wine of origin : Hemel-en-Aarde Valley
analysis : alc : 14.21 % vol rs : 2.29 g/l pH : 3.34 ta : 6.4 g/l
type : Red style : Dry taste : Fruity wooded
pack : Bottle size : 750ml closure : Cork
in the vineyard : 2013 was a standout vintage with rich, generous, sumptuous wines displaying great depth of fruit and structure. The reds in particular benefited from the 2013 harvest conditions, with dark, complex fruit at moderate alcohol levels. A cold winter was followed by a cold wet spring almost up to flowering, while cool strong Southeasters with some rain during flowering and berry-set contributed to very low yields. In general bud-break was later than usual and for the first time Sauvignon blanc ripened before Pinot noir and Chardonnay. A drier, breezy December and January contributed to healthy disease free ripening. The average of the maximum temperatures for December, January, February and March was, at 25.33 Centigrade, a touch higher than our long-term average of 25 Centigrade – warmer than 2012, 2010 and 2009, but cooler than 2011. Overall a later harvest and a harvest characterized by smooth logistics and excellent team work between cellar and vineyard.