Tasting Notes
Fresh, but ripe fruit dominates this typical Darling Pinotage. Stone cherries and wild black berries play on the palate for an elegant, yet juicy mouth feel and the wine finishes with soft dry tannins.
In The Vineyard
The recent demarcation of the Darling district has led to a focus at Darling Cellars on wines which are terroir and varietal specific. The cool and temperate West Coast climate lends itself to a different micro- and mesoclimate which, along with the different types of soil, lead to unique grapes, which we guide into even more unique wines. Having 99% of all vineyards dry land and almost the same percentage as bush vine, this is as close to what nature intended for grapes to be as one can get.
Darling Cellars Reserve is a wine range of straight varietals where the focus is on fruit driven, varietal true, value for money wines.
Terroir: Deep, decomposed granite soils on the slopes of the Darling Hills, with a cooling effect in the warm afternoons from the Atlantic Ocean in close proximity.
Vineyard type: Bush Vine, dry land.
About The Harvest
Yield: 3 t/ha
Balling at Harvest: 24°B
In The Cellar
Vinification: Crush and destalk, 10 days fermentation at 22°C on skin. Pressed at 5°B.
Maturation: After malolactic fermentation, wine is racked into barrels for 12 months. A blend of 3rd and 4th fill French barrels are used.