My Wine of the Month for March 2016 is Bellingham ‘The
Bernard Series’ Bush Vine Pinotage 2013.
The Bernard Series is named after Bellingham’s original
winemaker, Bernard Podlashuk, who was one of the innovating pioneers of South
African wine.
This vintage was a Pinotage Top 10 winner in 2014, but the
only time I’d previously tasted this vintage was when I presented it at the
American Wine Society National Conference 2014.
This is a very modern wine, clean, fresh, harmonious and full of fruits. It’s been aged 18 months
in oak that supports without intruding. A most drinkable wine that slips down
very easily.
There are no factsheets for this vintage either on the
Bellingham website or the Bernard Series website at www.theBernardSeries.com
which doesn’t appear to have been updated since 2013, though there is a nice
short video that says the grapes come from two vineyards, one in Darling and
the other in the Bottelary Hills of Stellenbosch
Also drunk this month
2013 Radford Dale Pinotage Frankenstein (South Africa,
Stellenbosch)
2007 Lovingston Pinotage (USA, Virginia, Monticello)
2013 Kanonkop Pinotage Kadette ( Stellenbosch)
2015 Morrisons Pinotage Signature (Swartland) [
2005 Kanonkop Pinotage Estate (Simonsberg-Stellenbosch)
2006 Kanonkop Pinotage Estate (Simonsberg-Stellenbosch)
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