Wine for the World

This boutique Stellenbosch winery (> 900 cs/yr) focuses on Rhone varietals and is 3 km from the Atlantic Ocean. Rare for the area, Winemaker Bernhard Bredell focuses on purity, and follows organic, dry farming, with minimal intervention practices. His vision is to restore his seven-generation wine farming roots, sustainably.

A lighter naturally vinified style of Pinotage. Focus is on the purity this variety has to offer on sand soils. Vibrant magenta to light red hue. Nose is fragrantly floral (Peonies) with pomegranates, wild berries and melon. Freshness from some herbal and tomato leaf notes. Light, but lengthy with a savoury minerality. Bone dry and keen natural tangy acidity from this cooler 2018 vintage. The aim is to curate the uniqueness of these specific vines and soil type fit to this cultivar. Aiming at a purer expression of the cultivar itself by means of natural vinification methods (no additives or alterations to the juice or wine, except trace amounts of sulphites. No filtration and no fining). Just Pinotage from a unique vineyard and unique soil type. Capturing Old vine Pinotage from sand/silica rich soils. 

Gentle hand in the cellar and no pigéage. Just soaking the skins/grapes in to leach out the terroir in a long natural fermentation rather than grinding the tannins out. No adjustments were made to its pure state and fermented at ambient cellar temperatures. A complex combination of wholecluster and destemmed grape portions. Gently basketpressed by hand. The fermented wine spends around 13 months on its lees in older (4th fill) French oak barrels and from there gets blended with another gravity settling before handbottled without filtration. 810 bottles made. 

From the winemaker:

This vineyard was planted by my grandfather in the 70's. He firmly believed in sustainable viticulture and dry farming with mindfullness towards soilcare rather. With green manure (Covercrops since day 1) in the rows in off season and only adding livestock/poultry manure as fertilizer when needed. These vineyards I also grew up with, learning from my grandfather from the early age of 4y old, always tagging along with him. These are the closest Pinotage and Cinsaut vineyards towards the ocean in whole of South Africa (possibly Africa as continent), 3-4km proximity from the South Atlantic, which play an immense role in the flavour development and ripening period of the vines. I lease demarcated portions in each of these vineyards today, which I have my own inputs in farming them sustainably every year. My grandfather has passed away a few years ago, but working with the vines he took care for and developed for over 40 y is extremely special to me and inspires me everyday. The vineyards that stood on the same soils before these, my grandfathers grandfather planted, and he also farmed with them like I do now. I have a truely deep connection with my vines and sites.