This our Pinot Noir from vines situated in the newly declared ward of Hemel en Aarde Ridge. This wine shows cool climate poise and elegance with an earthy and bright fruit character.

Origin Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge  

 

Name                                     

Whether a mythically pagan goddess of feminine power as Isis, or the popular Catholic depiction of the Virgin Mary with a darker complexion as found as statues or paintings around the world, the Black Madonna or Black Virgin is an apt name for our maiden Pinot Noir.  

 

Soil Type                               

Planted to Argillaceous  Shale of the Bokkeveld Series

 

Trellising System                 

Vertical Shoot Positioning (Perold)

Aspect                                   

North West

Age of Vines                        

4 – 7 years

Vines per hectare               

5500 – 7000

Clones                                   

113, 114, 115, 667 and 777

Average Yield                      

2 – 5 tons/ha (13 – 33 hl/ha)

Production                           

1000 cases of 6 x 750ml bottles  

 

 

 

Climate                                 

The Pinot Noirplanted on our farm in the new ward of Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, 10km in proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. The climate being “temperate” in style, where the southerly maritime winds blow through the appellations during the summer. These winds in turn bring regular sea mists and overcast conditions to the areas and with it more even temperatures. The average temperature is 19° C and rainfall, approximately, 750mm per year.  

 

Technical details                  

The grapes were harvested in eight batches by hand enjoying cool early morning temperatures.  After overnight cold storage they weresorted, destemmed and gently crushed into red ferment tanks. A 35% portion was fermented whole bunch in the tank. Cold maceration occurred for 7 days. The wine was then fermented under controlled temperatures until dry.  The skins were then lightly pressed and the wine racked into a selection of French Oak Barriques (30% new barrels) for 9 months ageing and maturation. Final blending occurred one month prior to bottling and the wine was allowed to develop further in bottle prior to release.

 

Analysis                                 

Alcohol by volume  Total Acidity pH Volatile Acid  Residual Sugar
 13.4% 5.5 g/L  3.54  0.8 g/L  1.55 g/L

 

Styling                                   

This vintage expresses the typical earthy and savoury aroma of this fine Burgundy variety and is backed by a red fruit character. A greater selection clones and blocks during picking and older elements in the blend shows a darker and more textured style in bottle from previous vintages. Delicate tannins and an elegant mineral core will see this wine drinking well on release and developing for at least 5 years. Enjoy this wine with mushroom risotto, roast game, cream-based pasta and hard cheese platters.