Grangehurst Pinotage 2007

.At the London Wine Fair I met two old friends, South African based international wine judge Yegas Naidoo and  Rainer Koos

Rianer Koos, Peter May, Yegas Naidoo

Yegas was paying a brief visit to the show before flying to Quebec that evening to judge at a wine competition.

 

Rainer  represents several wineries, including Grangehurst and he poured me a glass of Grangehurst 2007 Pinotage. 

I didn’t expect to find a ten year old wine being promoted at the show but was told it was the current release. 

“Jeremy only releases his wines when they are mature,” Koos told me. Jeremy Walker is owner-winemaker of Grangehurst where the mantra is Handcrafted, Traditional Unhurried.

This isn’t 100% Pinotage, there’s a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon, which Jeremy says ‘provides an interesting dimension of fruit, tannin and additional acidity, which contribute to the complexity and balance.’

The recipe is a serendipitous discovery made when Jeremy’s maiden Pinotage harvest in 1992  didn’t produce enough fruit to fill the tank so 8% of Cabernet was added.

This 2007 vintage was pressed in traditional basket presses and aged 20 months  in new barrels, 94% French and 6% American.

The wine was showing its age, already browning in colour, with aged subtle fruits thining and delivering intense Pinotage sweetness.

It was ten years ago that I visited Grangehurst (how time flies by) where Jeremy told me the restaurants he supplies likes aged wine and he crafts wines to accompany food. 

Tasting was good but I’d like to have this with dinner…