My Wine
of the Month for November is Rijks ‘Private Cellar’ Pinotage 2009, from Tulbagh.
It’s been
too long since I visited the winery; I recall enjoying a pleasant lunch from their restaurant outside on the terrace and a tasting
afterwards with winemaker Pierre Wahl.
Some
years before that I’d walked over some unprepossessing scrubland with owner Neville
Dorrington as he pointed out where he was going to plant new vineyards. The
accepted wisdom when I first went to the Cape was that Tulbagh was too hot to
ever make good wine. Luckily Neville ignored the gainsayers and with the skills
of Pierre Wahl and his team have been turning out consistently excellent wines,
especially Pinotages.
My Wine
of the Month is the 2009 vintage, mature and ready for drinking when I
bought I bought it last year and scrummy now.
A touch
of brown on pouring, in the glass it’s opaque black-red. A classic Pinotage,
with a sweet cedar wood nose, ripe damsons and cherries on the palate. Mouthfilling,
classy and smooth as silk, tannins are there but barely noticeable. It has a
lingering finish, with a hint of white pepper and typical Pinotage sweetness. Delicious.
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