Lanzerac Pinotage 2013 Tasting Notes

The Vintage: The uneven years are normally the better ones in the Stellenbosch area. A good harvest season with the usual heat wave or two, but overall good, even ripening of grapes. There is a good balance between fruit, complexity and structure in the red wines of this vintage.

Appellation: Stellenbosch.

Viticulture: The Lanzerac Pinotage 2013 was sourced from three different vineyard blocks, D10 and D8 from Lanzerac in the Jonkershoek Valley and a bush vine block from Amperbo in Bottelary. In 2013 the Lanzerac blocks were 17 years (D10) and 5 years (D8) old respectively and cover an area of 4.38 hectares. The yield for the 2013 vintage was 5.5 tons/ha. The 2 blocks have an altitude of 400-420m above sea level with mainly deep red decomposed granite soils. All pruning and harvesting is done by hand to ensure that only healthy and fully ripe grapes reach the cellar.

Harvest Date: Middle to late February.

Vinification: Grape bunches were hand sorted before destemmed. Fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks. Regular pump-overs (every 4 hours) are done in the first part of the fermentation of Pinotage to extract colour and flavour. The Pinotage skins were pressed at around 5 degrees balling in order for the free run wine and pressed wine to complete their fermentation separately in the tank. The wine underwent MLF in barrels. A selection of new, 2nd fill and 3rd fill French oak barrels were used to mature the Pinotage for at least 15 months. Regular racking resulted in excellent integration between wood, fruit and tannins.

Cellar Master's Comments: Nobody’s been bottling Pinotage longer than Lanzerac and this wine shows a wealth of experience with this proudly South African variety. Smoky-soft top notes combine with black plums and cherries, hints of polish and leather. Juicy, well-integrated tannins support a spicy, meaty core with a refreshing acidity and long smooth finish.

Cellaring Potential: Drink now or mature 5 – 8 years.

Food Suggestions: Nothing works better with Pinotage than game meat, this is a great match for a peppered ostrich steak or perhaps a traditional meaty game stew.