Stellenrust is one of the largest family-owned wine estates in South-Africa. They started their estate in 1928 and expended over the years. Nowadays, they have almost 400 hectares of land spread out over the 'Golden triangle' & Bottelary Hills. This sub-region is not only known because of its impressive landscape, but it is also the residence of the most famous wine producers of the country. The wine maker Tertius Boshoff highly values a fair-trade product. In 2005, they decided to give a little back to their 70 employees & gave them a permanent contract and empowered them on 100 hectares of their land, as main shareholders.
Information:
Variety
Pinotage (100%).
Nature of the Soils
As the vineyards are located in the 'golden triangle' of Stellenbosch consists the soil mainly of granite, shale, sandstone and clay.
Harvesting
The grapes for this amazing Pinotage were picked between 24 & 25 degrees bailing.
Surface of the Vineyards
200 hectares (494 Acres).
Alcohol Percentage
14.3% Vol.
Vinification of the Wine
The grapes for this wine are harvested form the Helderberg Golden Triangle & the Bottelary properties, which means the wine is made from blending the excellent Pinotage grapes from the different properties on the Stellenrust estate. When moved to the cellar, the grapes were crushed & allowed cold maceration for about 24 hours (in open stainless steel tanks). The juice is inoculated with French yeast strains, which allowed the grapes to ferment with regular punch downs (every 2 hours, for about 4 days on the skins). The wine is separated from the skins for further fermentation. The Pinotage aged for about 12 months in convection toasted French oak barrels.
Tasting Notes
This Pinotage offers raspberry, ripe peach & black cherry flavours with subtle oak nuances. In the mouth, you can find some ripe juice & a delicate lingering finish.
Recommendations
We recommend to serve this Pinotage at a temperature between 16 & 18 degrees. A perfect serve with spicy food (eg. Thai cuisine or Indian cuisine).
