#236 Piekenierskloof Grenache Noir 2021
VIDEO CONTENTS INDEX:
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00:00 – AN INTRO TO THE PIEKENIERSKLOOF
00:56 – WHAT DOES “PIEKENIERSKLOOF” MEAN?
02:28 – WHAT DOES THE WINE TASTE AND SMELL LIKE?
04:29 – WHY DOES OLD VINE GRENACHE TASTE SO FRESH
05:12 – THREE REASONS WHY PIEKENIERSKLOOF WINES ARE WORTH LOOKING OUT FOR
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3 REASONS TO EXPLORE PIEKENIERSKLOOF
Piekernierskloof is a wine region, or ward, before it is a wine brand. There are a number of epic producers all of which make wines under the appellation: Wine of Origin Piekenierskloof. Here are 3 reasons why these wines are usually quite special:
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The combination of its isolation and viticultural history has resulted in a rich diversity of genuine old vine plantings.
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The cultivars appear to have been planted in this rather dry region with a level of viticultural wisdom, matching cultivar to climate. The result is boatloads of old vine Grenache Noir, Cinsaut, Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Pinotage, and even Cabernet Sauvignon, which is surprisingly hardy when paired with the right rootstock.
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This little plateau sits at 700m ASL, giving it a surprisingly large diurnal range.
So what of PIEKENIERSKLOOF WINES? Well, the clearest evidence for their merit is in the bottle. But if you’ve have yet to sign up for your Monthly HanDrinksSolo Wine Subscription then you’ll have to hunt this wine down in your own time. But until then, here are my tasting notes and some technical specs:
TASTING NOTES
👃🏼 The vanguard carries tilled earth, red plum fruit, raspberries, strawberry jam, and musk sweets, alongside savoury dried herbs, and fresher fennel.
👄 The palate surprises one with red fruit vibrance alongside the sweeter strawberry preserve and candied notes. Bright red cherry fruit, tart raspberries couched in fine-but-pithy tannins.
TECHNICAL SPECS
Wine of Origin Piekenierskloof. Fruit harvested from bush vines at an altitude of about 750m ASL. They were planted in 1973 and dry-land-farmed, and even at roughly 50 years of age, they still yield roughly 5 tons per hectare.
The grapes are inoculated and fermented under temperature control (ferment temperatures never exceed 26 degrees). Wine goes through malolactic conversion in tank, before being transferred to inert (old) 500 litre oak barrels for 12 months.
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