Product Description
Varieties
Pinot Noir
The Vineyard
De Grendel 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.
At an altitude of 960 meters above sea level, with winter snowfalls often covering the vineyards, a truly continental climate facilitates gradual ripening for a concentrated, luscious, elegant, ‘terroir’ driven wine which, as the vines mature, produces increasingly perfumed wines with each successive intage.
High on the Witzenberg Mountain range in Ceres, at an altitude of 960 meters above sea level,
this unique ‘appellation’ exhibits South Africa’s only truly continental climate with winter temperatures frequently dropping below freezing. The cooler night-time temperatures and hotter daytime
temperatures during the growing season results in slower ripening and more concentrated fruit. This
is particularly true of the 2017 vintage, as Ceres fruit displays surprising cooler climate characteristics in comparison to other regions of the Western Cape.
Well-drained, soft, yellow shale soils. In winter, the vineyard soil is often covered with a layer of snow which provides the perfect conditions for dormancy of the vines, a much-needed resting and recovery period before the growth season starts.
The Harvest
Carefully handpicked in Ceres in the early hours of the morning, the grapes are vinified by Cellar Master Charles Hopkins in the safety of our cellar at De Grendel.
The Cellar
Handpicked fruit was destalked and crushed before being cold macerated for 4 days. The juice was inoculated with yeast and the fermenting must gently punched down 3 times a day using the aerated pump-over method. Following a gentle basket pressing, the wine was transferred to new French Oak
barrels for malolactic fermentation before being transferred to a combination of older barrels to mature for 13 months.
Residual Sugar: 2,4 g/l
pH: 3,4
Total Acidity: 5,7 g/l
Alcohol: 13,97 %
Aging Potential
De Grendel Pinot Noir is concentrated and elegant enough to be
cellared for up to 10 years but is
drinking exceptionally well now.
Awards
2017
Winemag Pinot Noir Report 2019 94 Points (Top Score)
2016
Platter’s Guide 4 1/2 Star
2015
James Suckling 2018 92 Points
Michelangelo International Wine Awards 2018 Trophy
Platter’s 4 1/2 Stars
2014
Platter’s 4 1/2 Stars
Tonnellerie Saint Martin Pinot Noir Report 2017 91 Points
2013
Sakura Japan Women’s Wine Awards 2017 Gold
SA Terroir Wine Awards 2016 Area Winner
Platter’s 4 1/2 Stars
2012
Michelangelo International Wine Awards 2015 Gold
China Wine & Spirits Awards Gold
Platter’s 4 Stars
2010
Top 100 SA Wines 2013
Veritas Awards 2017 Gold
2009
Platter’s 4 Stars
2007
Platter’s 4 Stars
2006
Winemakers Choice Awards Diamond
