Winemaker Notes
Attractive deep plum, with scented aromas of red currants, black cherry, strawberry confit and nutmeg and wood spice. The palate is medium-full bodied and opulent, with finely textured tannins and flavours of red pastille sweets, bright cherries and a hint of nutmeg oak spice and dark chocolate. The acidity is in balance with the fruit and wood components, and adds a sparkle of freshness to the red and black fruit flavours on the finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Bitter chocolate, cherries, bark and tobacco on the nose. It’s medium- to full-bodied with nicely supple tannins and smoky, meaty character throughout. Lots of flavor and with excellent balance. 100% pinotage.
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Wine Enthusiast
Light notes of eucalyptus and oak spice mingle on the nose and reappear on the fresh palate. Nicely balanced by good acidity and concentrated fruit flavors, this Pinotage is smooth and finishes with notes of tobacco.
South Africa’s signature grape, Pinotage is a distinctively earthy and rustic variety. In 1924 viticulturists crossed finicky Pinot Noir and productive, heat-tolerant Cinsault, and created a variety both darker and bolder than either of its parents! Today it is popular in South Africa both as a single varietal wine and in Cape blends. Somm Secret—The name “Pinotage” is a subtle portmanteau. The Pinot part is obvious, but the second half is a bit confusing. In the early 1900s, Cinsault was known in South Africa as “Hermitage”—hence Pinotage.
South Africa’s most famous wine-producing district, Stellenbosch, surrounds the historic town with the same name; fine winemaking here dates back to the late 1600s. Its valleys of granite, sandstone and alluvial loam soils between the towering blue-grey mountains of Stellenbosch, Simonsberg and Helderberg have the capacity to produce beautiful wines from many varieties. The climate is warm Mediterranean, tempered by the cool Atlantic air of nearby False Bay.
Perhaps most well-known for its Pinotage and Bordeaux blends, Stellenbosch also produces noteworthy wines from Syrah, Chenin blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc. The district’s wards—Banghoek, Bottelary, Devon Valley, Jonkershoek Valley, Papegaaiberg, Polkadraai Hills and Simonsberg-Stellenbosch—all produce distinctive wines from vines with relatively low yields.