La Vierge Noir Pinot Noir

Description

WINE OF ORIGIN: HEMEL-EN-AARDE RIDGE

Winemaker’s Notes:

The Pinot Noir is planted 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.

This wine is made from the highest altitude block of Pinot Noir on the farm, on the southern facing hillside. The grapes were harvested by hand enjoying cool early morning temperatures. After overnight cold storage they were sorted, destemmed and gently crushed into red ferment tanks. Cold maceration occurred for 3 days to gently extract colour and fruit, without endangering the delicate structure. 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 (20% 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.