Neethlingshof The Owl Post Pinotage 2015

ageing : 

Ready to enjoy now or can be matured for another decade.

Background
The Neethlingshof estate in Stellenbosch, owned equally by Distell and LUSAN, takes its name from its one-time 19th century owner, Marthinus Laurentius Neethling, who served as mayor of Stellenbosch and was also a member of the old Cape Parliament.

Neethlingshof's reserve tier, formerly Lord Neethling, has been renamed The Short Story Collection. Drawing attention to the winery's rich and varied narratives, the three-limited edition wines in the collection each focus on a specific aspect of the estate’s philosophy or history. They are made exclusively from hand-picked grapes.

The Owl Post, a single-vineyard Pinotage, draws attention to the estate's integrated pest management that forms part of the winery's focus on production integrity to reduce its dependence on pesticides. Owl posts have been placed strategically throughout the vineyards.

The vineyards
This wine has been produced from dryland vines established in deep red soils that is rich in organic material and amply feeds the roots. Planted in 1997, the vines are established on north-westerly-facing slopes, 120m above sea level, in soils originating from decomposed granite. The vines are grafted onto nematode and phylloxera-resistant rootstock Richter 110 and are trellised on a five-wire system.

The grapes were harvested in mid-February, at 25° Balling, yielding 6 tons/ha.

After destalking and crushing, yeast was added to the mash and fermentation commenced in stainless steel tanks. While the juice was still fermenting, it was transferred to 300-litre Hungarian oak barrels where it completed fermentation. Malolactic fermentation took place in the same barrels. The wine was matured in the oak barrels for a period of 15 months.