Spier 21 Gables Pinotage 2018

In the cellar

When it comes to Pinotage, we picked on taste, waiting for the tannins to soften. We also harvested at staggered picking dates, encouraging complexity. When harvest began, we handpicked and pre-cool the fruit before destemming. The berries were individually sorted to remove raisins, pink and large berries. Partial (15%) natural fermentation took place in stainless steel while the balance was inoculated with specific yeast strains. To create complexity and layers, ten different fermentation batches of this wine took place in the cellar. Free-run wine was then drained to a combination of first (about 70%) and second fill French, American and Hungarian oak barrels, where it matured for 20 months. Barrel selection was conducted resulting in a balanced, cool climate Pinotage with great complexity and ageing potential.