Haute Cabrière’s first Pinot Noir vineyard for the creation of a still red wine was planted with Burgundy clones in 1989 and the year 1994 produced the first vintage. This maiden vintage received a 5 star rating in the Platter Guide. Pinot Noir is often referred to in Burgundy as a ‘red white wine’ because of its perfumed fruit and elegant mouth feel. Achim discovered Pinot Noir and Burgundy during his time as a student in Europe in the 1960 and to this day has many friends in the region who have inspired him over the years. Whether as an elegant red wine to go with a delicious meal, as part of their hugely popular, easy-drinking white blend the Haute Cabrière Chardonnay Pinot Noir or as a vitally-important component of their award-winning Pierre Jourdan Cap Classique range, the combination of Haute Cabrière and Pinot Noir stands for versatility, distinguished elegance and charm. And now, Haute Cabrière is proud to introduce their new interpretation of the cultivar – the Unwooded Pinot Noir 2011. The Unwooded Pinot Noir 2011 is incredibly expressive of the cultivar’s characteristics and the vintage, making it the perfect vehicle to illustrate Haute Cabrière’s philosophy of Sun-Soil-Vine-Man. This is Achim’s favourite mantra, reflecting the respect for the vine and the vintage, from whence the style of a great wine originates. Cellarmaster Takuan von Arnim explains that with this newest creation, Haute Cabrière wanted to showcase the natural red fruit flavours and aromas of the specific vintage in an elegant, yet vibrant style. The wine has not undergone barrel maturation and no malolactic fermentation took place in order to preserve the lively acidity, fruit complexity and balance of the wine. Takuan believes it to be the first unwooded Pinot Noir in South Africa and is proud and excited about yet another step towards their commitment to the variety. With typical flamboyance and irrepressible charm, Achim’s view of Pinot Noir is slightly more imaginative! He believes that “Pinot Noir is the most demanding cultivar. It’s like a lady who needs your full attention all the time!” He goes on to emphasize how integral Haute Cabrière’s knowledge and love of Pinot Noir is to the production of this wine. For him, this latest wine is an exciting and daring innovation, and, above all, a wonderful opportunity to convert even more people to his beloved Pinot Noir – he says even white wine drinkers will enjoy this version as it has such soft, juicy tannins and lower-than-normal alcohol. This young red wine has an attractive and enticing ruby red colour (“a lovely dress” as the Burgundians would call it) and Achim suggests it should be served slightly chilled, making it the ideal wine for winter and for our long summer months. Sealed with a screwcap, and with a pleasingly moderate 12% alcohol, this is not a wine meant for keeping too long, but should be enjoyed on a multitude of different occasions with good friends and good food. Enjoy it with a summer salad of rare roast beef with raspberry vinaigrette or a succulent piece of braaiied Yellowtail or with a pan-fried duck breast or warming venison dish around a cosy Winter table. The wine is available from Haute Cabrière’s tasting room at an introductory price of R 79 incl. VAT. Haute Cabrière’s Tasting Room and Restaurant are both situated on Franschhoek Pass (Lamprecht Street), Franschhoek. Tasting Room Hours are: Mon - Fri: 09h00 to 17h00 - Sat: 10h00 to 16h00 - Sunday: 11h00 to 16h00 Contact details for reservations and enquiries, email reservations@cabriere.co.za or call (021) 876-8500.