Paul Cluver Pinot Noir 2012

Andries believes that the essence of a great Pinot Noir is the purity of fruit and the structure of the wine. The colour of this wine is deeper than previous vintages - a beautiful garnet. The nose has delicate violet perfume aromas combined with dark cherry, red berry and ribena berry. On the palate these characteristics follow through combining with lovely aniseed, iodine saltiness. The fine grainy tannin adds to the allure of this wine which is more feminine than previous vintages.

The natural acidity makes it a perfect partner with a diversity of dishes. Game fish, game birds and venison work very well, as does grilled beef and strong, hard cheese.

variety : Pinot Noir [ 100% Pinot Noir ]
winemaker : Andries Burger
wine of origin : Elgin
analysis : alc : 13.78 % vol  rs : 2.4 g/l  pH : 3.44  ta : 5.6 g/l  
type : Red  style : Dry  body : Medium  taste : Mineral   wooded
pack : Bottle  size : 750ml  closure : Cork  

AWARDS
Recent accolades and recognition
  • John Platter 2013 - 4 stars
  • Top100 SA Wines 2013
  • Decanter 2013 Silver medal
  • Wine Spectator April 2009 87 points (April 2009)
  • Wine Magazine, South Africa. Both Cluver Pinot noirs in Top 5 of South Africa. June 2011.

  • Miguel Chan "Paul Cluver Estate Elgin Pinot Noir shows very good colour retention across all vintage, along with one of the best pinot structure as well as longevity, found in the Cape." June 2009.

    ageing : Of course this wine can savoured now, but you will miss out on the complexity it will gain in being cellared for five to seven years.

    in the vineyard : Currently there are 22.39 hectares planted to Pinot noir on the estate, which equates to 27.6% of the total plantings. Clones include 667, 777, 113, 115 and PN5. The first vines were planted in 1989 and the youngest blocks in 2009. Vines range in age from 4 to 23 years. The soil is predominantly decomposed Bokkeveld Shale with underlying clay layers of varying depths. Vine orientation is North/South on North east and South facing slopes and North west/South east on the South facing slopes. Height above sea level ranges from 280 to 400 meters.

    about the harvest: Harvesting started 10 February and continued until 2 March. The yield average was 5.4 tons per hectare. The grapes were harvested early morning coming into the cellar at temperatures of 20-21° Celcius and at sugars of 22.27° - 23.55° Brix.

    in the cellar : Only Burgundian clones (667, 113,115 and 777) are used. Extensive individual berry sorting was done by hand prior to crushing. This was followed by cold maceration at 12°- 14° Celsius for 4-5 days. The fermentation was allowed to start naturally. 80% was then inoculated with selected strains of Burgundian yeast, while the rest was left to continue naturally. During the fermentation, the skin cap was punched through by hand or pumped over 2-3 times per day. The wine was transferred to French oak barrels where malolactic fermentation took place. (15% new wood, the rest 2nd, 3rd and 4th fill.) Maturation in oak was for 11 months, on the lees for the full period. After tasting and blending trials, the wine was racked (displaced using Nitrogen gas rather than pumping), assembled and prepared for bottling.


    Production: 2600 cases (X12)
    Release Date: December 2013

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