Red

The 2020 Pas de Nom Red is a blend of 44% Merlot, 28% Syrah, 18% Petit Verdot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon grown on the steep mid-slopes of Beau Constantia. They are hand-picked in the early morning hours, cooled overnight and processed to stainless-steel after being sorted down to berry level. The tank was slowly heated to temperatures that would accommodate natural fermentation, which took place under a watchful eye and curious palate that applied punch downs and pump overs as required for just the right amount of extraction. Once fermentation was complete, free-run wine was drained to barrel via gravity, as with the wine derived from the fermented skins being basket-pressed.

The time leading up to the 2020 harvest was governed by fluctuating climatic factors, the biggest two being rain and wind. Flowering and set were both an improvement on the previous season with Spring 2019 being warmer on average, leading to earlier than normal and even budbreak, a potential head start to a season that would be longer. Though Spring was warmer than usual, it came coupled with September winds like we have never seen. With the heat and wind came rainfall - leading to rapid vineyard growth and the need to closely manage fungal diseases, weeds and vineyard canopies. October was moderate with good set, but a mostly warm and windy November led to vines growing at an even faster rate, which meant our team had to re-apply the same canopy management protocols three times over. Veraíson was about a week early. After February, the summer growing conditions were cool and moderate with nerve wracking amounts of morning mist and high levels of humidity forcing us to sample as often as possible, practice patience, completely reverse block orders for pickings, picking in smaller batches than before, yet eventually getting the grapes into the cellar at the optimum ripeness, HEALTHY.

The wine remained in 225L French oak, of which none were new, for 18 months prior to being bottled. As with all our red wines, the 2020 Pas de Nom Red is unfined and unfiltered.