Red Wine De Grendel Op Die Berg Pinot Noir 2017. No need to decant. Founded in 1720, the De Grendel estate has been owned by the Graaff family for five generations. The family has played a successful role in shaping South Africa’s economy for many years and is very committed to social issues. The current owner, Sir David Graaff, supports many development projects in the Cape Town area. De Grendel doesn’t just make great white wines, the reds are delicious too. A noteworthy wine is Pinot Noir, which was one of the top 100 SA wines in 2013. De Grendel is the only winery in the Durbanville Wine Valley to produce commercial Pinot Noir. Situated high in the Witzenberg mountain range at an altitude of 960 meters above sea level, this unique South African “appellation” has a continental climate and frequent winter temperatures that drop below freezing. Cool night temperatures and warm day temperatures during the growing season result in slower ripening and more concentrated fruit. The grapes are hand-picked, de-stemmed, lightly pressed and cold macerated for 4 days. After pressing, the wine is transferred to new French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and aging. The wine displays a light ruby red with a thin brown rim in the glass. The nose offers aromas of cranberries, black cherries, mushrooms, wet leaves, and aromas of moist earth. The medium-bodied palate offers flavors of licorice, perfume, spice, and earthy boletus. It is perfect with truffles, mushrooms, and duck.
2017
Red Wine De Grendel Op Die Berg Pinot Noir 2017
Red Wine Domaine de la Cote La Cote Pinot Noir 2017. No need to decant. Set in a scenic location 700 feet above the Santa Ynez River, the Domaine de la Côte covers 40 acres of organically grown vineyards planted in the St Rita Hills area on soils of ancient siliceous and diatomaceous seabed. Despite the relatively small size, the diversity of climates among the various vineyard sites is astounding. Indeed, each vineyard of the Domaine de la Cote benefits from a unique terroir. The winery, where all the wines are produced and bottled, under the attentive eyes of the owners Rajat Parr and Sashi Moorman, is located in the town of Lompoc, 3 miles away from the domain. In the glass, La Cote Pinot Noir shows a clear and bright ruby red color. On the nose, it has intense aromas of blueberry, fresh ripe raspberries, mulberries, strawberries, violets, and other spring flowers and a background of dry leaves and undergrowth. On the palate, it has a light to medium body. It is young and lively, with a delicious concentration of red fruit. It is balanced and refined, with perfect harmony between marked acidity, red fruit flavors, and silky tannins. The aftertaste is persistent and pleasant. Overall it is an extremely elegant Burgundian-style Pinot that will go perfectly with duck or Char Siu pork.
2017
Red Wine Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir 2017. Domaine Carneros was founded in 1987 by the famous Taittinger Champagne house following Charles Taittinger’s quest to identify the best terroir in Napa Valley where they could make America’s answer to French Champagne. Today it’s regarded as one of the US’s top producers of Champagne-style sparkling wines. The estate goes to great lengths to ensure exceptional quality, including harvesting their grapes by hand at night and using only the first pressings of the grape juice. In addition to their sparkling wines, Domaine Carneros also produces some fantastic quality-driven Pinot Noirs like this bottling. It’s made from fruit sourced from six estate vineyards located close to the chateau. In total the winery grows 11 different clones of Pinot in these vineyards, producing a complex, multi-layered wine that tells the story of the Domaine Carneros terroir. Luscious plums, cherries, dark berries and hints of bergamot dominate on the nose, while the palate offers supple tannins, a generous full body, and gentle spiced and woodsmoke hints from the 10 months of ageing in barrels. The finish is long and delicate with notes of crushed berries, leather, and baked earth which linger on the tongue. Great enjoyed with classic Pinot pairings like roast duck, grilled pork chops, or a platter of French charcuterie.
2017