Grenache Noir

Beef, Lamb, Vegetarian, Poultry

We had a great winter, cold and wet, giving the vines the rest and hydration they needed for a strong start. The growing season stayed cool, creating near-perfect conditions for healthy vines and high-quality fruit. Budburst came a little later than usual but was nice and even across the vineyard, setting us up for a great year. Ripening happened during a warm, dry stretch without any extreme heat, and with no late season surprises or disease. The fruit came in beautifully, clean, balanced, and full of promise.

It matured for eight months in 2,500L foudre for integration and refinement, followed by six months of bottle ageing to enhance depth and harmony.

Grapes were hand-harvested, pre-cooled, and carefully sorted before partial destemming and gentle crushing, with around 20% wholebunch retained for lift, aromatic complexity, and fine tannin structure. Fermentation occurred spontaneously in closed tanks, with approximately 30 days on skins and a single daily pump-over for balanced extraction. After basket pressing, the wine completed malolactic fermentation in barrel.

Brookdale Estate is a Paarl wine estate set beneath the Klein Drakenstein Mountains, with a strong focus on sustainability, biodiversity and thoughtful vineyard development. Working with a diverse mix of varieties across its 27 hectares of vines, Brookdale produces distinctive South African wines shaped by site, experimentation and a considered approach to the land.