Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Ripe red fruits, balsamic and minty notes, slightly herbal and savory. Juicy, tight structure with firm tannins and good length. A classy wine.
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James Suckling
Fresh red cherries, blueberries, rose petals, stems, nutmeg, licorice and spice box. Medium to full body, refined tannins, savory undertones and a caressing finish. Lovely tension to this. So refined and elegant.
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Wine Spectator
Offers a lovely mix of gently steeped cherry, plum and raspberry fruit flavors, infused with singed anise, black tea and incense notes. A light mineral edge underscores the finish and the acidity is finely beaded. Drink now through 2021.
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Wine Enthusiast
Pronounced aromas of mentholated herbs and fynbos dance on the nose of this excellent wine, with supporting tones of forest floor, tilled soil, red currant and cherry. Medium in weight and plush in feel, it offers framing tannins that lend a solid grip to the palate and finish, while a kiss of warming spice graces the close. Well balanced and structured, it's attractive now, but will mature well through 2029.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
A relatively cool, maritime climate area, Walker Bay includes three important wards: Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley and Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge. These sites benefit from the cooling ocean winds and are reputed for the production of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinotage.