Zonnebloem Pinotage 1999

Made in the new style of fruitier Pinotages. A deep ruby coloured wine, rich with strawberry flavours. Needs time to integrate tannins and wood.

variety : Pinotage [ Pinotage ]

winery : Zonnebloem Wines

winemaker : Jan de Waal

wine of origin : Coastal

analysis : alc : 13.7 % vol rs : 2.19 g/l pH : 3.72 ta : 5.43 g/l so2 : 40 mg/l fso2 : 95 mg/l

ageing : Good maturation potential.

in the vineyard : The grapes are drawn predominantly from Devon Valley, Stellenbosch Kloof and Helderberg, but this can change from harvest to harvest. These vineyards are mostly trellised and cooler South West facing, affording the grapes a cooler microclimate. We started picking in February when the richer, fuller flavours were evident. The grapes were picked at 23Â°B-24Â°B.

about the harvest: As a result of a dry winter, except for high rainfall in November, the bud burst was earlier than 1998. Spring and early summer heralded dry and warm conditions, therefore early flowering of the vines. Harvesting started early; in mid January with generally small lightweight bunches, resulting in low yields per hectare. Although a heat wave in February accelerated the sugar accumulation in the berries, the acids and pH did not suffer and retained a good balance. Red wines were characterised by high alcohol with ripe tannins and excellent fruit offering wines with a long maturation potential.

in the cellar : The grapes were fermented on the skins for 7â€“10 days, juice racked off the skins, and the skins then pressed. The press juice was then added back to add complexity. The grapes from selected vineyards were seperately vinified to maintain their individual characters. After fermentation, selections are made and placed in wood. Maturation for 10 â€“ 12 months in large wood 32.5% and 51.7% in small oak barrels. 15.8% stainless steel tanks.

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