Pinot Noir

The savoury complexity of this Pinot Noir together with its natural acidity makes it a perfect food wine. Pair it with venison carpaccio with rocket and parmesan, grilled rack of lamb, or a creamy wild mushroom risotto. Inspired by the rugged Agulhas coastline where these vineyards lie, the wine is equally at home alongside simple fare such as flame-grilled line fish with charred vegetables. Soft, earthy cheeses such as brie or camembert will echo the wine’s savoury depth.

Maturation takes place over 10 months in 14% 1st fill, 14% 2nd fill, 20% 3rd fill, 20% 4th fill and 32% old fill tight-grain barrels with a medium toast.

Grapes are hand-harvested between 22.8–23.8 °B; 15% whole clusters are added to some tanks and inoculated for fermentation. During fermentation, gentle extraction takes place with one pumpover a day and two manual punchdowns of the cap. A maximum temperature of 27°C is reached. Fermentation completed, the grapes are pressed and transferred into 228l French oak barrels, in which malolactic fermentation is completed.

Winemaker David Nieuwoudt created the Ghost Corner brand in 2007, initially starting off with a Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc and adding three new wines in 2012: The Bowline, a Sauvignon blanc and Semillon blend; Ghost Corner Pinot Noir; and Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc, a Sauvignon blanc naturally fermented in older barrels. Every year David selects a small quantity of grapes from vineyards in the Elim ward near Cape Agulhas on the southernmost tip of Africa. Ghost Corner takes its name from this treacherous coastline where more than 130 ships have been shipwrecked through the ages. The deep lime-rich soil with plentiful slate and gravel deposits in Elim’s maritime climate gives rise to exceptional white wines.