Tasting Notes from the 2008 Samples Tasting

Winefly has very kindly let me post her tasting notes from the 2008 tank sample tasting mentioned in my last post.

She writes:-

"Another year has passed as the invite to the 2008 Pinotage Vintage Tasting popped-up in my inbox. I thought back to last year’s tasting and all I remember was purple-teethed people, with their noses in their wine glasses and commenting in what they smell, did not smell and wanted to smell.

The wines that were presented in 2007 are mentioned in a previous post, but from what I can recall the wines did not impress me much. But I thought what the hell, what do I have to loose? So I took my tastebuds on a pino-mission.

Well, well, well, what do we have here? The 2008 vintage showed much more potential than last year. Although the room was still filled with purple-teethed, wine-sniffing, commentators the quality of the wines made it all the worth while.

I’m not gonna elaborate about the detail of the tasting, but I will give you information about the wines tasted. Again it was a blind tasting and we had 13 wines to work through.

Delheim Pinotage 2008 (Barrel sample)
Alc 14.46, TA 5.85 g/l, RS 1.43 g/l, pH 3.71
The wine is spicy, with a good balance of wood on the nose and palate. The tannins are soft and velvety. Wine was in new wood for four months.

Cilmor Winery Pinotage 2008 (Tank sample)
Alc 14.53, TA 5.82 g/l, RS 23 g/l, pH 3.65

Lots of berry and fruit on the nose, but had harsh green tannins and an almost bitter finish. The wine showed more blue hues of colour than a normal Pinotage and did not get a good response from the group.


Beyerskloof Pinotage 2008 (Barrel sample)
Alc 14.45, TA 5.1 g/l, RS 2.05 g/l, pH 3.85
This wine delivered plums on the nose and good acidity. French oak - 30% second-fill and 70% new oak.



Riebeek Cellars Pinotage 2008 (Tank sample)
Alc 14.9, TA 5.3 g/l, RS 1.56 g/l, pH 3.76
Floral notes and coconut on the nose. This wine showed complexity that came from the use of chips and had a long finish.


Bon Courage Pinotage 2008 (Barrel sample)
Alc 14.0, TA 5.8 g/l, RS 3.5 g/l, pH 3.5
The tannins were a bit rough on the wine's nose and did not pull through on the palate. Fruit and mint was detected.


Lyngrove Pinotage 2008 (Tank sample)
Alc 14.6, TA 5.4 g/l, RS 1.8 g/l, pH 3.6
This wine showed a lot of mocha coffee and deep cherry flavours. The wood was very prominent - staves were used during malolactic fermentation.

Landskroon Pinotage 2008 (Tank sample)
Alc 14.5, TA 5.9 g/l, RS 2.3 g/l, pH 3.5
Floral and abundance of fruit on the nose; shows good concentration.


Namaqua Pinotage 2008 (Barrel sample)
Alc 14.66, TA 5.38 g/l, RS 2.19 g/l, pH 3.83
This wine really came through with sweet flavours on the nose, coconut, stewed fruits, vanilla and mocha coffee. The palate delivers what the nose promises with a hint of toast.


Diemersdal Pinotage 2008 (Barrel sample)
Alc 14.5, TA 5.9 g/l, RS 2.3 g/l, pH 3.5
The wine was elegant, but a bit thin. We found fynbos on the nose, and the fruit was well integrated. The tannins were a bit harsh and green, but the wine had a good aftertaste.


Clos Malverne Pinotage 2008 (Tank sample)
Alc 13.78, TA 5.72 g/l, RS 2.43 g/l, pH 3.55
We found this wine a bit green and it was almost as if the wine had a perfume flavour to it. Floral and fruits were also detected with hints or strawberries.


Rico Suter Wines Pinotage 2008 (Barrel sample)
Alc 14.2, TA 4.21 g/l, RS 1.33 g/l, pH 4.13
We found the pH on the wine quite high and it lacked in acidity. It had meaty, earthy tones and the colour showed more blue hues than a normal Pinotage.


Windmeul Cellars Pinotage 2008 (Barrel sample)
Alc 14.78, TA 5.08 g/l, RS 2.26 g/l, pH 3.77
Fruit and berries on the nose and I also found this wine slightly sweet on the palate. This is a well made wine although the wood was a bit rough but it should settle with time.


Stanford Hill Pinotage 2008 (Barrel sample)
Alc 15.12, TA 4.65 g/l, RS 2.73 g/l, pH 3.94
The alcohol in this wine is quite high and we could tast it. Lots of stewed fruits on the nose and the aftertaste was slightly bitter. The tannins were good and some people also found raisins on the nose and palate.

All I want to add is, 2008 is the year that SA has the potential to convince the world that Pinotage is indeed a variety to reckon with. "

Many thanks, Winefly!!

Above text and pictures are (c) Copyright Winefly

Winefly lives and works in the heart of the Cape Winelands and blogs about what she's seen and tasted at http://wineflyselection.blogspot.com

2008 Pinotage vintage is looking good

The 2008 Pinotage vintage is looking good is the verdict from the annual tasting of tank samples from around the Cape, with flavours of plum, fynbos, coffee and mocha dominant.

It rained often during the growing season with heavy rainfalls at the end of November and early December, putting more pressure on keeping the grapes clean from vineyard diseases. Although ripening was delayed for most cultivars and grapes were harvested two weeks later than usual, the early ripening of Pinotage was an advantage once again. Most of the Pinotage was picked ripe and in a healthy condition.

“Anybody who has any doubt about Pinotage should have been here today. What stood out is the variation of type and style, there is something special to suit every palate,” said Dave Hughes, South Africa’s international wine judge.

Duimpie Bayly, Cape Wine Master and convener of the Absa Top 10 Pinotage panel, was very impressed with the concentrated fruit flavours of most wines and the good potential for maturation. “The wide areas from where all these fine wines originate is a clear illustration that with the correct vineyard management and vinification, top quality Pinotage can be produced all over the Cape” , said Duimpie. “The wines we tasted showed competent blending and wood treatment to bring out the best. It is our experience at the annual Pinotage Vintage Tasting that the dedication from winemakers to produce top quality Pinotage wines increases year after year”.


Thirteen 2008 tank samples were tasted, supplied by Delheim (Stellenbosch), Cilmor (Worcester), Beyerskloof (Bottelary), Riebeek Cellar (Riebeek-Wes), Bon Courage (Robertson), Lyngrove (Helderberg), Landskroon (Paarl), Spruitdrift (Olifantsrivier), Diemersdal (Durbanville), Clos Malverne (Devon Valley), Rico Suter (Breedekloof), Windmeul (Paarl) and Stanford Hills (Walker Bay).

Pinotage is not only a popular wine in South Africa; 22½ Million bottles of Pinotage were exported in the year ended April 2008.

Pictured at the tasting are (from left) De Wet Viljoen (Chairman of the Pinotage Association’s organising committee), André Swanepoel (Cilmor), Alecia Hamman (Riebeek Cellar) and Rico Suter (Rico Suter Wines).