31 March 2016

WOtM - Bellingham Bernard Series Bush Vine Pinotage 2013



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)

11 March 2016

KLM have selected Aaldering Pinotage 2012 for serving in KLM World Business Class from April 1st.

Aaldering’s Pinotage vineyard in Stellenbosch’s Devon Valleywas planted in 1998. After malolactic fermentation in stainless steel the wine spent 24 months in  225L French oak barrels before bottling.  

Congratulations to all at Aaldering.