Pinotage

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Harvesting occurred at optimal ripeness of 25.4° Balling. Picking was done by hand in the early morning to ensure that the grapes arrived cool at the cellar. Cold soaking was done for 24 hours before inoculation of yeast. Colour and tannin extraction was done by means of pump-overs every 4 hours. Alcoholic fermentation lasted for 6 days and temperatures peaked at 26°C. Grapes were pressed at 4° Balling and press juice blended with the free-run.

Grapes were sourced from low yielding trellised (Hutton soils) as well as bush vine vineyards (decomposed granite soils) located in the Swartland. The age of the trellised vineyard is 22 years and that of the bush vine block, 23 years old. The 2022 growing season will be remembered by how late everything happened. Bud break was between 2 and 3 weeks later than the norm, which then in effect led to the harvest to also start 2 weeks later. Late winter rain was necessary to keep the Swartland water table topped up before the growing season. A relative cool and dry growing season followed, which led to producing elegant wines with great phenolic maturity.

The wine underwent MLF in 300L French oak barrels of which 20% was new and the rest 2nd and 3rd fill and then matured for 18 months before it was racked, fined and bottled.