Elgin Vintners Pinot Noir

100% Pinot Noir

W.O. Elgin

TASTING NOTE Clear, bright garnet in colour with plush aromas of red cherries, strawberries, some fine herbal notes, and a hint of tobacco on the nose. Fruit forward, generous red cherries, and a touch of earthiness follow on the palate. This wine rexeals a comple- and wellqrounded mouthfeel with a persistent, lingering, and smooth finish.

ABOUT US Elgin Vintners is situated in the picturesque cool-climate Elgin Valley. We are a grape grower and wine producer. 45 HA are planted under vines. The key focus is Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon blanc but we also produce stellar Shiraz (Syrah) and Merlot. Our main focus is bottled wine but we do a small volume of bulk wine. Elgin Vintners is proud to produce global-award-winning wines. Here you will find exceptional quality that over-delivers on price point. Our wines are a true reflection of the cool-climate Elgin Valley terroir.

TERRIOR Elgin is the coolest wine region in South Africa. The benefit of cooler climates is that the grape cluster stays connected to its roots for longer, developing more characteristics and achieving physiological ripeness more gradually with lower sugar levels and consequently lower alcohols. The resultant wines leave one with an impression of delicacy, but also power and insistence oxer warmer-climate examples, which show bolder but less-persistent favours. The vineyards have an altitude of 305m, which makes this the 5th highest elevation in South Africa, considering that we are also next to the cold Atlantic ocean this has a profound influence on day/night temperatures, prevailing south-easterly winds. The South Easter can bring a cooling respite to the vineyards of Elgin it can also bring extensive cloud cover that gets restricted by the mountains and extends back oxer the region, meaning that not only is sunlight blocked out but temperatures are also reduced and the ripening of grapes is slowed. In extreme cases, about four to five times a year, the wind is strong enough and the clouds thick enough to enable precipitation known locally as a Black South-Easter, dumping quite large amounts of rain often throughout the day. On top of this, on calmer warmer days, cool coastal breezes get sucked in from the sea as the warmed land air begins to rise which reduces the temperature very quickly in the afternoon and into the night. This helps maintain the acid levels in the grapes, leading to an extended ripening period on the vine with natural balance and complex and powerful favours.

VINIFICATION 30% of the Pinot Noir grapes are kept as whole bunches. The stems add spiciness to the finished complex wines. The grapes are fermented in open-top French wooden fermenters. Punch-downs are down twice daily and during the last third of fermentation, only once per day. Malo-lactic fermentation following in barrel.

Alcohol: 13.5% • Total acid: 5 • Residual sugar: 3.1 • pH: 3.72