Tête de Cuvée Pinot Noir

Pairs beautifully with the special moments in life – anniversaries, birthdays and family gatherings. Consider a fragrant crab or shellfish risotto, succulent and crispy fried duck breast or a classic Thanksgiving turkey with cranberry sauce.

Vintage 2019 will long be remembered for the raging wild fire that swept across the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley on the 11 January – less than three weeks before the first grapes were picked. We were fortunate that we experienced little to no damage and brought in a healthy, yet slightly lighter crop. The reduced yield being the result of milder than normal winter temperatures. Weather conditions remained cool and relatively dry throughout February and March.

A Tête de Cuvée wine is not presented at every vintage. The emphasis here is placed on attaching the best Pinot Noir ferments to best new wood with the intention of sculpting a top quality, collectors wine. This bottling is regarded as the most promising wine from the cellar and carries the Bouchard Finlayson flag. The majority of grapes supplied for this cuvee is from the oldest vines on the property, with the average vine age exceeding 22years. The winemaker selects individual barrels to compile the chosen components – in this instance only six, of which half were new oak.

One of South Africa’s most awarded boutique wine estates lies in a scenic valley just an hour and a half from Cape Town called Hemel-en-Aarde or Heaven-and-Earth. Framed by great fold mountains and breath-taking ocean views it is one of the coolest wine-making regions in the Cape with duplex soil structures and sun-facing slopes. The promise of the unique terroir is harnessed by winemaker Chris Albrecht in slow-ripened flavour-rich wines of exceptional quality. Bouchard Finlayson is globally acclaimed for producing the best Pinot Noir in South Africa as well as exceptional Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs. The vineyards are surrounded by an indigenous floral conservancy alive with birdsong and wildflowers. Beyond the beauty of the farm itself you can discover the enchantments of the local area. Some of the popular attractions of nearby Hermanus include whale-watching; shark-cage diving; mountain hiking or biking; browsing art antiques and shops; and of course the white sandy beaches.