Paul Cluver releases two new icons in Seven Flags Pinot Noir and Chardonnay

Wednesday, 31 August, 2016
Paul Cluver Wines
The essence of cool-climate Elgin wines are represented in the latest release of Paul Cluver Wines’ flagship Seven Flags range.

The Paul Cluver Seven Flags brand was introduced onto the South African wine scene in 2008 with the launch of the maiden Seven Flags Pinot Noir 2006.

Following on Seven Flags’ success in establishing itself as a leading South African Pinot Noir, a Chardonnay was last year added to the exclusive label with the introduction of the Seven Flags Chardonnay 2014.

This month saw the release of Paul Cluver Wines’ Seven Flags Pinot Noir 2014 and the 2015 Chardonnay, two wines that have been eagerly anticipated by the wine trade and connoisseurs alike.

Paul Clüver Jnr, CEO of Paul Cluver Wines, says the Seven Flags wines represent the epitome of the Elgin estate’s commitment to provenance and site-specific, terroir-driven wine making. “The first commercial vineyard plantings in Elgin were on the De Rust Estate where Paul Cluver’s wines are made, and those initial forays in the late 1980’s included Pinot Noir and Chardonnay,” he says.

“Since the 2006 vintage we felt that a stage had been reached where the ultimate expression of Paul Cluver could be found in a special Pinot Noir selection, and last year we followed this with a unique, focussed Chardonnay,” says Clüver.

“We are fortunate that our local and international customers share our belief that the Seven Flags range represents a highlight in South Africa’s Pinot Noir and Chardonnay offering, and this at a time when wine lovers the world over are beginning to recognise the premium status this country’s wines deserve.”

The Seven Flags Pinot Noir 2014 is made from the oldest Pinot Noir vineyard on the Elgin estate, planted in 1990 to clone 115, with a small percentage of fruit from younger vineyards added to give freshness and balance.

Harvesting was done at night to ensure coolness from the outset of vinification, with extensive individual berry sorting done by hand prior to crushing. This was followed by cold maceration at 12°- 14° Celsius for six days. The fermentation was allowed to start naturally before inoculating with selected Burgundian yeast. During the fermentation, the skin cap was punched through by hand three to four times per day or alternatively pumped over. After fermentation, the wine is racked to barrel for malolactic fermentation and remains on the fine lees for 11 months. 

Andries Burger Paul Cluver Cellarmaster, says the barrels earmarked for the Seven Flags range undergo rigorous selection. “To confirm the superiority of the vineyard sites, the Seven Flags Pinot Noir barrels are tasted blind in conjunction with the other Pinot Noir barrels in the cellar,” he says. “The best barrels of the sites are then selected and blended to form the final Seven Flags Pinot Noir, with the total new wood component equating 20%.”  

The Seven Flags Chardonnay 2015 enjoys the same amount of committed focus as its Pinot Noir sibling and is made from two of the oldest Chardonnay vineyards planted on the estate, one dating back to 1987. Clones 270 and 175 have adapted extraordinarily well in the Bokkeveld Shale soils and the south and south-east planting directions.

Burger describes this as a wine he has been waiting to release. “2015 was an exceptional vintage for Chardonnay, with this Seven Flags Chardonnay being one of the most refined white wines to have come from Paul Cluver to date,” he says. “The vintage of 2015 saw a very healthy crop from a harvest-period during which we experienced our lowest night-time temperatures of the past nine years. Night-time picking presented us with immaculate fruit from which to start building the blocks for the Seven Flags.”

The wine was 100% wild-fermented in a selection of French oak barrels. (25% new, the rest 2nd and 3rd fill.) Lees stirring was kept to a minimum so as to retain freshness, with the wine kept on the lees for a total of nine months without any Sulphur addition. Only 10% of the wine went through malolactic fermentation, all without inoculation, further ensuring freshness and acidity. After tasting and blending trials, the wine was assembled from the best barrels, stabilised and prepared for bottling.

“Since the first release of the Seven Flags Pinot Noir, the brand has achieved a cult following which inspires the Paul Cluver team to continue pursuing the excellence consumers demand from these wines,” says Burger. “It is an honour and privilege to preside over their release into the local and international markets each year.”

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Paul Cluver Seven Flags Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
Paul Cluver Seven Flags Pinot Noir and Chardonnay

Andries Burger, Paul Cluver Cellarmaster
Andries Burger, Paul Cluver Cellarmaster

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