Perdeberg Wines Endura Winemaker’s Selection Cape Blend 2020 [sample]
A blend of Pinotage (52%), Cabernet Sauvignon (24%) and Malbec (24%), this wine serves to ‘showcase the essence of dryland vineyards’ and to ‘reflect the true character or the terroir’.
The Wine:
It is a deeply coloured wine, with a wonderful nose of dark plums, more plums, all the plums, mulberries, blackberries, cassis, liquorice, light cloves, meaty braaivleis, and salty soy sauce. You’ll want to sniff this for a good long while!
The palate lives up to the nose: dry, high acidity, full bodied with a round texture, fairly high tannins that feel both green and plush. I don’t notice the alcohol but the full body gives an expectation that it’s high. There’s decent length...that starts off with bitter leafy greenness and tar...that evolves into green figs (first the leaves and stem, and then the preserved deliciousness), through dark ripe juicy plums...into luxurious blackberry/peppercorn/oyster sauce compote...and finally, banana peels. Grilled spicy aubergines was the pairing of the day.
Vini + Viti:
54% Pinotage, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Malbec from vineyards situated in Paarl. These are grown on a soils that are a combination of decomposed granite and Malmesbury shales; no irrigation produces small intensely flavoured grapes that are picked in small batches and sorted at the winery.
Fermented in small stainless-steel tanks for 7 days with regular pump-overs, then transferred to 500-litre French oak barrels for malolactic conversion and further ageing for 18 months.
ABV: 13.76% | RS: 3.2 g/l | Total acidity: 5.5 g/l | pH: 3.56
Final Thoughts:
The Malbec and Pinotage are an inspiring combination...with the Cab adding structure. I didn't expect to enjoy the wine as much as I did - an oversight on my part, as this limited release wine is only produced in exceptional years where it can truly showcase the terroir. The 2018 was a Perold ABSA Cape Blend award winner. Many thanks to Perdeberg for gifting me this wine.
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