De Grendel Op Die Berg Pinot Noir 2011

A consistent winner of both national and international wine awards, our Pinot Noir is nourished by the unique ‘terroir’ of the Graaff family farm in the Witzenberg Mountain range in Ceres, better known until recently for high quality apples and pears.

This was a year of extreme weather conditions. The average temperature was in general slightly higher with a heat wave early in January just following veraison and then another heat wave early February just two weeks away from the first picking. The fact that we have supplementary irrigation on our farm and our close proximity to the ocean protected our vines and resulted in wines that have intense fruit flavours this vintage.

Benefiting from cool Atlantic breezes, De Grendel Pinot Noir vineyards are situated
7 kilometers from the ocean, reaching up to 350m above sea level. Sculptured by the cool growing climate, the slow ripening fruit produces wines of consistently distinctive character and expressive style. For the first time in the 2010 vintage we were using an amazing portion of Pinot Noir grapes from a family farm in Ceres – 960 meters in altitude.

This Pinot Noir has a light, bright ruby red hue and the nose is filled with luscious red cherry, blackberry and pine needle notes that carry through on the palate with a long velvety finish, balanced with well-structured freshness.

Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir