Neethlingshof Pinotage 2012

Colour: Ruby red with purple edges.
Bouquet: Fruity with ample aromas of ripe banana and cinnamon and notes of plum and prunes.
Taste: Medium-bodied teeming with berry flavours and a good tannic backbone.

An ideal companion to red meat and rich cheeses.

variety : Pinotage [ 100% Pinotage ]
winemaker : De Wet Viljoen
wine of origin : Stellenbosch
analysis : alc : 14.07 % vol  rs : 3.20 g/l  pH : 3.73  ta : 5.27 g/l  
type : Red  style : Dry  body : Light  taste : Fruity   wooded
pack : Bottle  size : 750ml  closure : Cork  

ageing : The wine is ready to drink now, but will mature well over the next 5 years.

in the vineyard : Background
Grapes have been grown on Neethlingshof for more than 300 years or within 50 years of the Dutch East-India Company establishing a victualling station at the Cape to supply its passing ships. The farm was initially called De Wolvendans (The Dance of Wolves). Soon after full ownership of the farm was acquired by Johannes Henoch Neethling towards the end of the 1820s, the name was changed to Neethlingshof.

A member of the Biodiversity & Wine Initiative, acknowledged for its protection of indigenous habitat, the 273 ha estate has set aside 116 ha for conservation. It cultivates both red and white varietals, with the bias marginally in favour of whites. The main white varieties are Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer. The predominant soil types found on the farm are Oakleaf and Tukulu.

The vineyards
Grapes were sourced from 15-year-old south-east facing vineyards. Grafted onto Richter 99 rootstock and grown in deep red soil at 125 m above sea level, the vines are trellised on a five-wire vertical hedge system and irrigated by means of an overhead sprinkler system.

about the harvest: The grapes were harvested by hand at 24° Balling in mid-February with a yield of 6 tons per hectare.

in the cellar : Fermentation in rotation tanks took place at 25° to 28°C over six days. After malolactic fermentation the wine was matured for 14 months in a combination of French (80%) and American (20%) oak, with 43% in new barrels.

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