Technical Analysis
This wine is an acknowledgement of every person who has been involved in the Pinotage journey, from vineyard to glass. L’Amour describes the Traildust created on the roads travelled and relationships formed as lifelong companions. These friendships share a mutual respect for Pinotage, as well as the people involved in its creation and those who strive to grow this cultivar.
Tasting note
A blend of 34% Pinotage, 33% Pinot Noir and 338% Cinsaut.
An abundance of red fruit and cherry aromas combines well with hints of sweet oak. Generous amount of red fruit, cherries, and plum. A well-balanced wine with a juicy middle, well-rounded tannins, and a sweet fruit finish.
Vintage conditions
It was an excellent winter with ideal conditions for the vines during their rest period. Budding started end of August with a lot of rain, which created high disease pressure. In October, strong winds continued until mid-January. The wind had a positive effect on the disease pressure but had a negative effect on flowering, and ultimately, the yield. Harvest started 7 days earlier at the end of January due to a few heat waves in January. Weather conditions were great during harvest which finished early, on 13 March. The quality of the grapes looked excellent even though yield was down 20% on the long-term average production.
Vinification details
Grapes were picked at optimum ripeness. Made in open fermenters, on the skins for 4-6 days at an average temp. of 26°C. Punching of the cap was done every 2 hours to extract good colour and flavours from the grapes. After malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the wine aged in third-fill French oak barrels for 12 months.
Technical Analysis
This wine is an acknowledgement of every person who has been involved in the Pinotage journey, from vineyard to glass. L’Amour describes the Traildust created on the roads travelled and relationships formed as lifelong companions. These friendships share a mutual respect for Pinotage, as well as the people involved in its creation and those who strive to grow this cultivar.
Tasting note
A blend of 43% Pinotage, 29% Pinot Noir and 28% Cinsaut.
An abundance of red fruit and cherry aromas combines well with hints of sweet oak. Generous amount of red fruit, cherries, and plum. A well-balanced wine with a juicy middle, well-rounded tannins, and a sweet fruit finish.
Vintage conditions
It was a dry winter and spring with relatively normal cold units. Budding of the vineyards started slightly earlier than normal due to a warm start to spring, with ideal growth conditions up until the last month of the year. In December, much-needed rain helped with vineyards’ water reserves before harvest. The bad news was that, in December and early January, there was high disease pressure in the vineyards. The harvest started 7 days earlier than 2022 at the Beyerskloof cellar, with Pinotage and Pinot Noir being the first grapes picked. February flew by with everything ripening at the same time, and by the end of the month, all the Pinotage was in the cellar. The end of February and March brought a lot of rain, making it very difficult to decide when was the optimum time to harvest the Merlot and Cabernets. Hard calls were made during the end of the harvest, but the quality of the late cultivars was good. By far the wettest and toughest harvest in a long time, in terms of picking the grapes at optimum ripeness. Even though it was one of the most challenging vintages, an above-average yield and great wines were made.
Vinification details
Grapes were picked at optimum ripeness. Made in open fermenters, on the skins for 4-6 days at an average temp. of 26°C. Punching of the cap was done every 2 hours to extract good colour and flavours from the grapes. After malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the wine aged in third-fill French oak barrels for 12 months.
AWARDS
Tim Atkin MW: 91 pts
Technical Analysis
This wine is an acknowledgement of every person who has been involved in the Pinotage journey, from vineyard to glass. L’Amour describes the Traildust created on the roads travelled and relationships formed as lifelong companions. These friendships share a mutual respect for Pinotage, as well as the people involved in its creation and those who strive to grow this cultivar.
Tasting note
A blend of 34% Pinotage, 33% Pinot Noir and 33% Cinsaut.
Generous amount of red fruit, cherries, and plum. A well-balanced wine with a juicy middle, well-rounded tannins, and a sweet fruit finish.
Vintage conditions
Ideal winter conditions supplemented water reserves and contributed to even growth, which provided an excellent foundation for the 2022 crop. Following a cool run-up to the season, sudden heat peaks in December and January resulted in sunburn damage on certain vineyard blocks. At the same time, unexpected rainfall led to high disease pressure that caused challenges in minimising the effects of powdery and downy mildew. As temperatures remained moderate throughout the rest of the season, the grapes took their time to reach optimum ripeness, and the start of harvest was delayed by 10-14 days. The 2022 crop was larger than 2021 due to ideal winter conditions.
Vinification details
Grapes were picked at optimum ripeness. Made in open fermenters, on the skins for 4-6 days at an average temp. of 26°C. Punching of the cap was done every 2 hours to extract good colour and flavours from the grapes. After malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the wine aged in third-fill French oak barrels for 12 months.
Technical Analysis
This wine is an acknowledgement of every person who has been involved in the Pinotage journey, from vineyard to glass. L’Amour describes the Traildust created on the roads travelled and relationships formed as lifelong companions. These friendships share a mutual respect for Pinotage, as well as the people involved in its creation and those who strive to grow this cultivar.
Tasting note
A blend of 35% Pinotage, 32% Pinot Noir and 33% Cinsaut.
Generous amount of red fruit, cherries, and plum. A well-balanced wine with a juicy middle, well-rounded tannins, and a sweet fruit finish.
Vintage conditions
It was a cool, wet growing season that replenished the water reserves. Harvesting commenced the first week of February and ended the last week of March 2021. This harvest had some challenges with COVID-19 sale restrictions, lockdown, and some rain that made planning difficult. Overall, the quality of the wines shows lots of promise.
Vinification details
Grapes were picked at optimum ripeness. Made in open fermenters, on the skins for 4-6 days at an average temp. of 26°C. Punching of the cap was done every 2 hours to extract good colour and flavours from the grapes. After malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the wine aged in third-fill French oak barrels for 12 months.
AWARDS
Tim Atkin MW: 91 pts
Technical Analysis
This wine is an acknowledgement of every person who has been involved in the Pinotage journey, from vineyard to glass. L’Amour describes the Traildust created on the roads travelled and relationships formed as lifelong companions. These friendships share a mutual respect for Pinotage, as well as the people involved in its creation and those who strive to grow this cultivar.
Tasting note
Abundance of red fruit and cherry aromas combined with hints of sweet oak. Generous amount of sweet fruit, cherries, and plum. A well-balanced wine with a juicy middle and soft well-rounded tannins. A blend of 35% Pinotage, 32% Pinot Noir and 33% Cinsaut.
Vintage conditions
A relatively normal growing season in the vineyards. There was good rainfall at the end of October to help with even ripening for the mid to early cultivars. The late cultivars still needed additional water to ensure optimum ripeness. The harvest started in early February at the Beyerskloof cellar with Pinotage and Pinot Noir. From then, the harvest was bumper to bumper as everything ripened at the same time. The last fermentation finished just before the first lockdown. In general, the grapes were healthy and the quality looked better than in 2019. The crop was also bigger compared to the past 4 years.
Vinification details
The wine remains for 5 days on the skins at 27°C in open fermenters. Punch downs are done every 2 hours during fermentation. After malolactic fermentation, the wine is aged in third-fill French oak barrels for 12 months.
