David & Nadia Pinotage 2019

The 2018 Pinotage comes from one of the higher-altitude sites, so it is picked earlier than the whites. It includes 100% whole bunch fruit, spends three weeks on the skins and is matured in 4,000-liter foudres; it undergoes just a little carbonic maceration. This bottle showed a bit of reduction on the nose, although that will blow off with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly chewy tannins and nicely judged acidity, and the solid, slightly austere finish indicates that it will need three or four years in bottle. Fine, but not a Pinotage predisposed to appeal to the masses. (NM) (11/2019)

Pinotage like you’ve never had it before! David & Nadia Sadie focus on organic, dry-farmed bush vines on different soils across Swartland - these grapes come from the highest plots on the Paardebosch farm in Paardeberg - and they make their wines as naturally as possible. Early harvesting has given great freshness to the spicy, plum fruit and there’s lovely gentle toasty notes from 14 months in old French oak barrels. Beautiful label too, showing the bush vines and contour lines of the vineyard.