Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Bright and delicious aromas of blackberries, blackcurrants, fruit compote and hints of vanilla and sweet spices. The full-bodied palate has a really fresh blueberry tinge that runs all the way through it with silky tannins and a long finish. One of the best pinotages from South Africa.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This is a late-release vintage that is currently being sold to appease those who collect and drink older wines. The Kanonkop 2014 Simonsberg Stellenbosch Pinotage Estate Wine opens to a medium-rich color and a glossy texture. A library of back vintages is kept at the winery for educational purposes, and this is one of the few wineries that does this. The wine's evolution is fascinating, with an emphasis on black licorice and earthy tar, and the intensity of the bouquet has developed and increased over the years. It was aged from 16 to 18 months in small oak barrel with 80% new oak. The tannins are resolved and smooth, and there are tertiary hints of forest floor, button mushroom and beef jerky.
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Wine Spectator
A juicy, racy style, with deliciously pure plum and blackberry compote flavors enlivened by an anise note that lingers through the finish. Features dark fruit but remains bright and fresh in feel. Well done. Drink now through 2020.
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.
With an important wine renaissance in full swing, impressive red and white bargains abound in South Africa. The country has a particularly long and rich history with winemaking, especially considering its status as part of the “New World.” In the mid-17th century, the lusciously sweet dessert wines of Constantia were highly prized by the European aristocracy. Since then, the South African wine industry has experienced some setbacks due to the phylloxera infestation of the late 1800s and political difficulties throughout the following century.
Today, however, South Africa is increasingly responsible for high-demand, high-quality wines—a blessing to put the country back on the international wine map. Wine production is mainly situated around Cape Town, where the climate is generally warm to hot. But the Benguela Current from Antarctica provides brisk ocean breezes necessary for steady ripening of grapes. Similarly, cooler, high-elevation vineyard sites throughout South Africa offer similar, favorable growing conditions.
South Africa’s wine zones are divided into region, then smaller districts and finally wards, but the country’s wine styles are differentiated more by grape variety than by region. Pinotage, a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault, is the country’s “signature” grape, responsible for red-fruit-driven, spicy, earthy reds. When Pinotage is blended with other red varieties, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah or Pinot Noir (all commonly vinified alone as well), it is often labeled as a “Cape Blend.” Chenin Blanc (locally known as “Steen”) dominates white wine production, with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc following close behind.