Bowwood Pinotage

Please note: Award stickers are applied at the producer's discretion and may not be present on all bottles.

The grapes are hand-picked in late February with a ripeness of 25 Balling. Each bunch is pre-chilled before being destemmed and berry sorted. The berries are not crushed and are fermented whole. This allows for a gradual extraction of tannins and colour, which promotes finesse and balance. The berries are fermented in open-top fermenters, which provide easy access for the winemaker to assess and manipulate the fermentation. The wine is punched down (mixed) rigorously for 7 days and then basket pressed directly to new and second fill oak barrels. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel, which promotes harmony and superior integration of the oak flavours.

This wine is made from a small, site-specific vineyard, planted in clay-rich gravel soil. The vigour of the vineyard is relatively poor, and the vines are shy yielding. This ensures tiny berries with concentrated flavour. The North-South orientation of the block means that the grapes are well exposed to morning and late afternoon sunshine, which is perfect for intense colour and aromatic development.

The wine is matured on the yeast lees for 12 months at which point, the finest barrels are selected, blended and returned for an additional 6 months in barrel. After bottling the wine must rest for a minimum of one year before it is made available for purchase.