Platinum Pinotage Case

Berries were crushed and cold-soaked for 24 hours below 15°C, and then inoculated with suitable yeast to bring out the best of the varietal. The must was fermented in semi-open stainless-steel tanks with manual punch downs every 4 hours to extract the intense colour and flavours from the must. Fermentation took about 5 days at temperatures between 24-30°C. Total skin contact of 10 days.

These 3ha of vines (planted in 2000) are drip-irrigated to ensure optimal ripening and trained on the 5-wire Perold trellis system. Vines are planted in soils consisting of weathered granite on clay and are on north facing slopes. The nearby Atlantic Ocean (False Bay) also has a cooling effect on the vineyards during the ripening season. The 2020 season started off very promising with good amounts of rain and cold during the winter giving the vines sufficient time to build up reserves and rest. Favourable weather during the growing season led to good budding and an overall increase in crop to the previous year. Small berry size with good natural acidity, even maturation of bunches to produce balanced and concentrated wines. Harvest commenced end January and concluded by 20 March. All this is evident of great quality wines that should age well.

The wine was aged for 18 months in a combination of 300L French(95%) and American oak barrels, of which 80% were new.