Spioenkop, Pinot Noir 2017

Hand-picked grapes in small 18 kg boxes, one night in the cool store (3°C) and than destemmed – 20% whole bunch. Six days cold soak in red fermenter, followed by spontaneous wild yeast fermentation. After fermentation, the grape-skins were slowly pressed in a stainless steel basket press (JLB 5). Nature malolactic fermentation in 500L barrels. Barrel ageing with two rackings, for 10 months – no fining, no sulpher and no filtering. 10 months on his nature fine lees (30% new wood).

Nestled in the heart of the Elgin Valley, Spioenkop Wines was established in 2008 with Koen Roose as winemaker. With several awards and accolades under their belt, Spioenkop produces wines that have finesse, balance, and purity, with the idiosyncratic character of the winemaker flowing through every bottle. The valley is almost crater like, surrounded by a craggy fringe of mountains and the vineyard is on a plateau where nowhere is below 200m above sea level. Temperatures here are about 3 degrees lower, as an average, than surrounding areas, and the valley often funnels cooling sea breezes from the Atlantic a few kilometres away. The geography and the climate mean that rainwater is retained in the clay soils mixed with iron-rich ferricreet cobbles and shales, and it is in these nutrient poor soils that the vines are planted at a high density to help with the control of yields.