Kanonkop Wine Estate : Pinotage 2023

Characteristics and tasting notes for the Kanonkop Wine Estate Pinotage 2023

Tasting

Colour

This 2023 Pinotage displays a deep, almost opaque purple colour that immediately reveals its density and impressive concentration.

Nose

The nose opens with aromas of plums, mulberries and brambleberries, wrapped in hints of rich vanilla, smoky notes and roasted nuts, giving the wine remarkable aromatic complexity.

Palate

The palate is generous and full, carried by flavours of plums, cherries, black figs and pomegranate, lifted by touches of dark chocolate, mulberries and wood spice. The tannins, both dense and silky, blend elegantly with a lively acidity, creating a perfectly balanced whole.

Food and wine pairing

This 2023 Pinotage is a delightful partner for spicy Asian dishes and fragrant curries, as well as calamari dishes with a kick of wasabi. It also pairs beautifully with all kinds of game, grilled or seared sea fish, and duck.

Serving and ageing

The 2023 Pinotage is best served between 16 and 18°C; in its youth, it will benefit from decanting to fully release its bouquet. With an official ageing potential of 20 to 25 years, or even longer under good storage conditions, this 2023 Pinotage can be kept until around 2043-2048.

A full-bodied, richly textured South African red wine

The estate

Established in 1973, when its first vintage was bottled under the Kanonkop name, the estate has roots dating back to 1929 on the slopes of the Simonsberg, in Stellenbosch, in the Western Cape. The brand quickly established itself as a benchmark for fine South African reds, particularly Pinotage, a grape variety of which it is regarded as the spiritual home. Now run by brothers Johann and Paul Krige, heirs to the founding family, the estate grows only red grape varieties across some one hundred hectares, combining family tradition with an internationally recognised commitment to quality.

The vineyard

The grapes for this Pinotage come from vineyards on the Simonsberg, in Stellenbosch, planted on decomposed granite soils mixed with Hutton-type clays. Trained as bush vines, the 34- to 67-year-old vines are dry-farmed without irrigation, with yields deliberately limited to 5 tonnes per hectare, ensuring concentration and depth.

The vintage

The 2023 vintage began with a late and relatively dry winter, punctuated by good rainfall in June. Cold spells and a dry spring encouraged even budbreak and limited disease pressure. A particularly wet December then led to larger berries with softer tannins. Harvesting began in early February, in line with the estate's usual schedule.

Vinification and ageing

The 2023 Pinotage was fermented in open concrete tanks at 28°C, with manual punch-downs carried out every two hours during fermentation. The juice was separated from the skins after three days of maceration. Following malolactic fermentation, this South African wine was aged for 18 months in 225-litre French Nevers oak barrels, 80% new and 20% second-fill.

Grape variety

100% Pinotage.