2020 De Grendel Amandelboord Pinotage
£21.80 / Per Bottle
An exceptionally exciting new addition to De Grendel's flagship range, released not only to celebrate our cellar’s 10th anniversary, but also made to honour Sir De Villiers Graaff’s grandfather and namesake, the 2nd Baronet, Sir De Villiers Graaff.
91 in stock
Varietals
100% Pinotage
Winemaker’s notes
- Vintage
The season presented a cold winter with good rainfall that ensured a terrific growing and ripening period during spring and summer. Due to a few small heat spikes and rain showers in January,the vines were exposed to stop-and-start conditions. This complicated determining the accurate stage of ripeness which required viticultural expertise, experience and patience. The 2020 crop size was average.
- Viticulture
The Pinotage vineyards are planted in well-drained blue, broken shale at 250 metres above sea level on the Western slope of the Tygerberg 7 kilometres from, and in sight of, the Atlantic Ocean. Employing the VSP trellis system, a typical harvest produces 7 to 8 tons per hectare.
- Vinification
Grapes were hand-picked just before dawn, then crushed and open-fermented while undergoing pneumatic punch-downs four times a day. The wine was basket-pressed and transferred to tanks for malolactic fermentation. On completion of MLF, the wine was racked and transferred to 225 litre barrels to mature for 12 months in a combination of French and American Oak of which 12% was new oak.
Serve slightly chilled with pepper-crusted seared tuna steaks, grilled aubergines stuffed with a tomato compote, a rack of Karoo lamb straight from the grill, or char-grilled sticky beef short ribs on a bed of soft polenta.
Pinotage has exceptional ageing potential. The wine is ready to enjoy now but has an ageing potential of 8 to 10 years to allow for further development.
| Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits 2022 | Gold |
| Tim Atkin SA Report 2022 | 94 Points |
