11 December 2004

Simonsig Redhill 2002

The first red wine made by Simonsig was a 1970 Pinotage. They now craft two styes, unwooded and a oak aged Pinotage called Redhill; they're particularly proud of the just released 2002 Redhill Pinotage.

The name Redhill comes from a vineyard block named ‘Rooibult’. Simonsig viticulturist Francois Malan says “the terroir of this specific vineyard block with its deep red soil composition of decomposed shale and granite definitely improved our odds to reap the full potential of this wine”

The 2002 vintage endured an exceptionally wet winter followed by excessive rainfall during spring leading to 25% of the crop lost to downy mildew. However cool temperatures helped develop optimum flavour and acidity in the grapes.

“Fortunately February and March were warm and dry, which accelerated the ripening period, resulting in a beautifully, albeit small, balanced Pinotage crop with remarkable colour and concentration,” said Johan Malan, Simonsig’s winemaker, who describes the 2002 Redhill Pinotage as “an intense style wine with awesome depth and length of concentrated Pinotage sweetness, lusciously melded with toasty new oak and grained tannins that satisfies with a long ripe fruit finish.”

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