Mont Blois Tarentaalsdraai Pinotage 2018
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Robert
Parker
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Bursting with a lively, fruit-driven expression and covered with delicate oak tones, the 2018 Tarentaalsdraai Pinotage offers up dusty blackberries, dark cherry skin, black raspberry and dusty roses and violets. Medium-bodied, the palate is full of flavor, offering a balanced structure with integrated tannins, as flavors of dusty plums, cinnamon-covered cherries and redcurrants sway across the mid-palate. The lingering finish continues to evolve with persistence and will remain food friendly for years to come. Only 13 barrels were produced. This is a well-made Pinotage.
Rating: 90+
The farm is named after the picturesque town of Blois in the Loire where the Bruwers came from. Owner Ernst Bruwer took over from his Grandfather Ernst Bruwer Sr. He believed in sustainable farming and that older vineyards should be cared for.
Winemaker Nina-Mari and Ernst met whilst studying Viticulture & Enology together at Stellenbosch University. Nina-Mari joined the Mont Blois team in 2008. In 2014, Nina-Mari was awarded with the prestigious title of Cape Wine Master. The husband and wife team are passionate about making site specific quality wines.
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.
Within the Breede River Valley in South Africa, Robertson is a warm and dry winegrowing region notable for its white wines. The region is home to an increasing number of estates and cooperatives.