Beyerskloof Chenin Blanc / Pinotage 2016

The Beyerskloof Chenin Blanc Pinotage is widely recognized as the “white Pinotage”. Exciting and fruity, this wine showcases the versatility of Pinotage. When blended with Chenin Blanc the result is a unique tasting, refreshing white wine.

Age of Vines: 13-19 years old
Colour: A light colour with a fresh green and golden tint.

This was the driest winter, spring and summer since the start of the farm in 1988.We had half of our yearly rainfall which meant that we had to irrigate all our Vineyards for at least 48 hours.  2016 was once again an early vintage. Warm/dry weather in August resulted in early bud break, after which a warm dry summer kept the vineyard growth under control and accelerated ripening by 10-14 days. The driest season in Beyerskloof history resulted in a healthy vintage, but very uneven ripening for the later cultivars due to the lack of water. Early cultivars like the Pinot Noir and Pinotage looks very good and due to sorting system demos we could salvage some good Cab’s and Merlot!

The Pinotage grapes were picked at an early stage to ensure an abundance of sweet red berries aromas. After crushing the grapes the juice was immediately drained and separated from the skins to give the wine its white colour. The juice was fermented for 24 days at 11.5°C. After fermentation a fuller bodied and more structured Chenin Blanc was sourced and blended with the Pinotage.