The grapes were harvested in eight batches by hand enjoying cool early morning temperatures.2 – 5 tons/ha (13 – 33 hl/ha).

After overnight cold storage they were sorted, destemmed and gently crushed into red ferment tanks. A 35% portion was fermented whole bunch in the tank. Cold maceration occurred for 7 days. The wine was then fermented under controlled temperatures until dry. The skins were then lightly pressed and the wine racked into a selection of French Oak Barriques (30% new barrels) for 9 months ageing and maturation. Final blending occurred one month prior to bottling and the wine was allowed to develop further in bottle prior to release.

Full tasting notes here.

“To date, the Le Luc Pinot Noir from Restless River in Hemel-en-Aarde has arguably been a little underdone but the soon-to-be-released 2019 vintage is magical. Grapes from a single vineyard of sandstone on clay, winemaking involved 30% whole-bunch fermentation before maturation lasting some 14 months in 500-litre barrels, 25% new.

The nose is very expressive with notes of dark cherry, musk and spice while the palate has great fruit purity and tannin structure – it’s full and concentrated but still wonderfully energetic and possesses proper detail. Lovely fruit purity and freshness to go with crunchy tannins, this is the real deal.”

-Christian Eedes, winemag.co.za

All grapes hand sorted with a policy of “if in doubt chuck it out!” in order to refine the careful bunch selection done in the vineyard. Mostly whole berry cold soak for gentle extraction with a portion of ripe stalks returned to the must.

Separate parcels are selected and treated individually using both cultivated and spontaneous fermentation, in stainless closed fermenters and large oak vats. Maturation: Batches are pressed separately to barrel and matured for 10 months. The bottled wine is cellared for at least a year before release.

For the full tasting notes, click here.

Creation Wines

Art of Creation Pinot Noir 2019

40% whole bunch fermented-only 3800 individually numbered bottles available. Shiny, deep pomegranate-seed red with a robust bouquet of rose petal, dark cherry, allspice and anise. Complex and utterly enchanting on the palate opulent layers of cherry and plum mingling with earthy flavours of mushroom and an elegant sprinkling of spice.

Newton Johnson Family Vineyards

Pinot Noir 2019

“The Family Vineyards Pinot Noir from Newton Johnson in Upper Hemel en Aarde sees multiple vineyard parcels combined for maximum complexity. Winemaking for 2019 involved 20% whole-bunch fermentation before 11 months in barrel, 33% new.

The nose is expressive and compelling with notes of musk and rose before cherry and strawberry plus a slight fynbos note while the palate shows pure fruit, racy acidity and fine tannins. It’s as seductive as ever but a little more weight on the mid-palate might elevate it to even greater heights” Winemag.co.za

Read the full tasting notes here.

“I have two big loves. Pinot noir the variety, and that is an unconditional love. And Pinot noir the wine, which is a conditional love.

As a variety, Pinot noir is in my opinion the most articulate communicator of the personality of site and soil. It unlocks all the ancient mysteries of a particular site with an uncompromising honesty. If the site has little to say, so will the wine. If the site is a privileged one, then, in the right hands, the story the wine tells is a deep and intellectual one. Almost spiritual. For those of us with the privilege of owning our sites, and having a strong emotional connection to them, their story told through Pinot noir can be particularly moving. I love the grape unconditionally for this ability. Each year a different story, but each year the essence of a particular place with a new interpretation. Beauty unseen by man alone, unextractable by man alone, but possible through this remarkable grape.

As a wine, I confess to respecting (often greatly), but not particularly enjoying, much of what is made from Pinot noir outside Burgundy. As a straight varietal expression, this thin-skinned relatively unstructured grape which tends towards simple red fruit, can aspire to an unchallenging, low-brow prettiness and ease, but not much more. Only in the right place and right soils can this grape transcend the variety and become the complex, tensile, intellectual, fine literature of wine. This happens around the world in pockets, (still) overwhelmingly in Burgundy. But when Pinot noir is great, it is to me, unmatchable. It transcends the idea of fruit and becomes an almost primal savoury expression, connecting us to all that is ancient and of the earth. It is, in this state, deeply uplifting. I love aged Bordeaux which usually reminds me of a cold Atlantic sea shore after a storm with sea-weed on the beach. Great aged Burgundy reminds me of old mankind and caves occupied for millennia. A connection with our primal roots and a real joy.”

From our vineyards overlooking Walker Bay, at the foothills of the Babylonstoren mountains.

Due to the low winter rainfall, the yield was lower. Overall bunches and berries were smaller, but that, in turn, resulted in concentrated flavours and excellent quality.

The cooled grapes were transported to our cellar where they were hand-sorted, destemmed and gently crushed. Regular pump-overs and punch-downs assured colour extraction. Aged for 10 months in 20% new French Burgundian oak.

Read the full tasting notes here.

Our wooded red wine is made from a grape which is arguably the most suited of any variety to express terroir and sense of place. Grown on low-vigour, stony, clay-rich Bokkeveld Shale derived soils, the maritime-influenced climate is so marked that Ataraxia’s Pinot noirs are the very last to be picked in the Hemel-en-Aarde. It’s always wanting to ask a question of its drinker, rather than striving to be a statement wine.

Bouchard Finlayson

Galpin Peak Pinot Noir 2019

Vintage 2019 will long be remembered for the raging wild fire that swept across the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley on the 11 January – less than three weeks before the first grapes were picked. We were fortunate not to be majorly impacted and brought in a healthy, yet slightly lighter crop. The reduced yield being the result of milder than normal winter temperatures. Weather conditions remained cool and relatively dry throughout February and March.

Read the full tasting notes here.