 |
|
- Noon Gun
- Free Run
- Heywood House
- Two Roads
- Wallflower
- Semaphore
- Longitude
- Dragon Tree
- Dark Horse shiraz
- Writer’s Block
- Music Room
- The last Word Port
- Cabernet Merlot
- Chennin Blanc
- Backchat Blend
- Sauvingon Blanc
- Sauvingon Blanc res
- Crafted Red
- Syrah
- Pinot Noir
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Rose
- Merlot
- Green on Green
- Frostline Riesling
- Frostline Chardonnay
- Outsider Shiraz
- Mary Le Bow
- Rainsong Chenin Blanc
- Rainsong Pinotage
- Rainsong Shiraz
- Folklore Sauvignon Blanc
- Folklore Chardonnay
- Folklore Cabernet Franc/Cab
- Matriarch Shiraz
- Matriarch Cabernet
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Cabernet Sauvignon
 - Verjuice
|
Writers Block
Pinotage
Pinotage is a 1925 South African crossing of what is officially recorded as Pinot Noir and Cinsault.
The challenge of Pinotage tingles deep down in your gut. Our Pinotage in Tulbagh is the first red to start colouring up. Seeing those first signs of veraison fires up the adrenalin boiler-room for vintage. Like a skittish, taut race horse Pinotage grows in fits and starts, nervously eyeing the weather. You ease it through the heat and eventually lead it down to the racetrack, whispering encouragement. In the winery it can bolt, throw you off and kick your head open. It is unruly, proud, irrepressible, jumpy, powerful and arrogant. You can understand why some people shoot race horses when they break a leg. Of what worth is a grape that will not be harnessed and run in the right direction? What I’ve learnt is that Pinotage doesn’t like the racetrack rules. Chemically, biologically and by nature it doesn’t play by them. It falls into the non-conformist category. It really needs to be ridden in the veldt, over uneven ground, through thorny, dense trees and at breakneck speed.
Aren't we all in some way attracted to outsiders? Pinotage is an outsider grape, prone to temperamental fits of failure. Caution reminds us it's embarrassing being associated with failure, but that doesn’t stop most of us celebrating the thrilling challenge Pinotage offers in abundance. Pinotage is all about the risk and the capricious reward. Pinotage, again like its bloodline Pinot Noir, is the unpredictable, dangerous ride of your life's work as a winemaker. It can smell fear on a winemaker at 20 paces. But if wine pushes your button, making a good wine from a difficult grape is like pushing ten. It’s an awesome sense of achievement! I am biased, however. I have tasted and drunk wonderful, emotionally rallying small-scale, hand-made Pinotage. For those moments of beauty, it’s more than worth the wild ride.
2004 Tasting Description: Redolent, vibrant red with purple edges. Intense concentrated aromas of wild blueberry and ripe cherry supported by a frame of sweet heady oak aromas. On the palate the wine is ripe and generous with a core of black berry, preserved plum and youngberry. These fruit characteristics are supported by subtle toasty oak, hints of white truffle, freshly made milo and thyme.
Food Paring: Rare fillet of Kudu and parsnip mash.
Components:
Stellenbosch Pinotage : 68 %
Tulbagh Pinotage : 32 %
Picking took place from the 9th till the 24th of February 2004 with sugar ranging from 25°B to 26.4°B.
TA Ranging from 5.55 g/l to 7.87 g/l and the PH from 3.44 to 3.73.
50% of the grapes were just destemmed and the rest destemmed and crushed. The must was cold soaked for an average of 5 days after which it was inolulated with Fio, DIX and Maurivin B in open top fermentors. Cap was softly punched down every 4 hours to begin with and this was lessened toward the end of the ferment. Fermentation occurred between 24 °C and 26°C. We pressed off with 12 g/l sugar ST2L left and barrelled down. 90% American oak was used with about 15% new wood.
ALC RS TA FSO2 tSO2 PH
14.02 3.9g/l 6.0g/l 51mg/l 109mg/l 3.75
|
|
 |
|
