I was vaguely amused to find a listing for Pinotage in Nick Jackson MW’s book Beyond Flavour. I’m not sure why. Acknowledgement of the grape? Curiosity about how it would be described? So page 77 got both a nod and a chuckle.

As always, Pieter is far better than anyone else at telling you about his wines, you should read or listen to him here.

The Wine:

Deeeep dark ruby that already suggests the weight and concentration that the wine offers. A medium (+) nose of mulberries, blackberries, dark plums, star anise, cloves, rich sticky plum sauce, oyster sauce, guava peels, and dark damp earth.

Dry, medium (+) acidity, medium (+) velvety ripe tannins, medium alcohol, and full bodied. It’s ripe and thick and decadent and plush...just like running your hands along a cashmere scarf before wrapping the softness around your neck. There’s a grainy creaminess...that, yes, is banana-like...but it’s at the tail end of the long finish.

Viti & Vini:

100% Pinotage from Stellenbosch sourced from a trellised single vineyard on the foothills of the Helderberg moouontain.

The grapes were chilled overnight after picking, then destemmed into open top fermenters. They underwent spontaneous fermentation and were kept on skins for as long as possible, before being pressed into small, older French oak barrels for 18 months, blended and bottled.

RS: 2,4g/L | pH: 3.77 | ABV: 15.5%

Final Thoughts:

This is a style of Pinotage that I don’t generally gravitate towards. Yet, I thoroughly enjoyed it...kinda because it was instantly recognisable as being Pinotage...something I don’t always think I've learned to appreciate.