Lanzerac Pinotage Rose 2017 Tasting Notes

Appellation: Jonkershoek Valley, Stellenbosch

Viticulture: The 2017 vintage is Lanzerac's debut Pinotage Rosé. The vineyard block, J12, was planted on Lanzerac in the Jonkershoek Valley in 2014 using with traditional bush vines and covers an area of 1.6 hectares. All harvesting and pruning is done by hand. Extreme care is taken not to damage grapes and only healthy grapes are picked.

Vinification: The grapes were picked at 22-23° Balling and hand sorted before it was destemmed and crushed. A maximum of 2 hours were allowed for colour extraction before the juice was left to settle for 24 hours at 14-15°C. The clear juice was drawn off the lees and inoculated with a specific Rosé yeast strain. Fermentation was controlled at 15°C and took approximately 10 days to complete.

Cellarmaster's Comments: An iconic wine held in high regard by many generations of Stellenbosch wine-lovers, the Lanzerac Pinotage Rosé lives up to its name with gentle aromatic notes of perfume and rose petals, crushed strawberries and redcurrants. It enjoyed a mere 2 hours of skin contact to give it its delicate colour and soft fruit flavours. A dry, perfumed and fruity rosé that is perfect for easy sipping during the warmer summer months.

Cellaring Potential:  Drink now or keep until 2019.

Food Suggestions : Enjoy this Rosé on lazy summer days with fruit skewers or a strawberry and salmon salad. Also try it with spicy prawns or a Thai green curry.

Analysis:
Alcohol 12.5%
Total Acidity 5,5g/l
Residual Sugar 3,6g/l
pH 3,58