Whole Cluster Pinot Noir

Beef, Veal, Game (deer, venison) Poultry

11 months in 225L French oak barrels

Whole cluster (also known as whole bunch) fermentation is used in Pinot noir winemaking in varying degrees around the world. Before the invention of crusher-destemmers, it was the original method of making wine – whole, intact bunches are tipped into vessels, stems and all, where fermentation occurs. This has a profound effect on the aroma, texture and tannin “feel” of the wine, the greater the percentage of whole bunch, the greater the effect on the wine. Increased uptake of phenolic compounds from the stems lends a subtlety to the wine, often highlighted by a brighter, vibrant fruit expression.

Hemel-en-Aarde is Afrikaans for “heaven and earth” and the claim is justified. Our estate sits on a particularly heavenly stretch of land beneath a lofty peak of the Babylon’s Tower mountain range. In addition to its unrelenting beauty Ataraxia is home to some of the most spectacular terroirs South Africa has to offer. In 2004 The Skyfields Farm was visioned into the Ataraxia wine label when husband and wife Kevin and Hanli Grant and a few friends purchased this 47-hectare prime vineyard property. More than a decade later we are associated with crafting wines of incredible finesse balance and depth; wines that proudly hold their own on the international wine stage.