The Mentors Pinotage 2019

This wine reflects the true varietal characteristics of a modern-styled Pinotage, with an abundance of blackcurrants and plums, and hints of fruit cake and cloves on the nose. The intense concentration on the palate shows sweet fruit and well-integrated oak. The silky-smooth tannins contribute to the wine’s juicy, round and seamless finish.

This Pinotage is the perfect accompaniment to a pork-belly roast with garlic and sage or a succulent beef roulade.

variety : Pinotage [ 100% Pinotage ]

winery : The Mentors

winemaker : The Winemaking Team

wine of origin : Stellenbosch

analysis : alc : 14.72 % vol rs : 2.98 g/l pH : 3.62 ta : 6.36 g/l

type : Red style : Dry body : Full taste : Fragrant wooded

pack : Bottle size : 750ml closure : Cork

ageing :

This wine can be enjoyed now, but will also cellar well for five to eight years.

Pinotage, a hybrid of Pinot noir and Cinsaut, was bred by Abraham Perold in Stellenbosch over 90 years ago and has become recognized globally as South African.

The stylistic evolution in Pinotage winemaking has been dramatic over the past 10 years. Winemakers have come to realise that the presence of Pinot noir in the parentage signifies the variety needs to be handled a little gentler than previously thought.

This wine is a blend of two vineyards in Stellenbosch. The first vineyard is situated in the Bottelary ward, the wine is known to give dark fruits and grippy tannins. While the second vineyard is situated in the Simonsberg ward, this wine shows upfront red cherries and finer tannins.

Each vineyard brings something unique to this wine. For the 2018, we believe the sum of components is a rich, soft and concentrated wine with structure and finesse.

in the vineyard :

The 2019 season showed great promise with improved winter rains. However, variable weather conditions, with continuous temperature fluctuations, resulted in inconsistent bud break, uneven flowering and set. Followed by slow and uneven ripening. Reds were most affected and overall yields were down. White varieties, except for the lower yields on Sauvignon Blanc, were as expected. The challenges are not without rewards: whites are bright and flavourful with good aromatics. Reds have soft tannins with rich fruit and generosity.

in the cellar :

A three-step selection process ensured only the best quality fruit was chosen for fermentation. Selective picking in the vineyard, followed by both bunch and berry selection on the sorting table in the KWV The Mentors cellar, is strictly followed. The cuvée was inoculated after two days of cold soaking. Fermentation took place at 26^oC over six days. The wine was pressed before alcoholic fermentation was completed, to prevent the extraction of hard and dry tannins. The wine matured in barrel for 18 months.

Maturation:
The wine was matured for 18 months in oak barrels - 90% of French origin and 10% American.

A 70% portion of the barrels was first-fill.

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