Kadette Pinotage 2023

The Kadette Pinotage cuvée comes from the renowned Stellenbosch wine region in South Africa, in the heart of the Western Cape, one of the country's most prestigious areas. Located on slopes with decomposed granite soils, the Pinotage vines benefit from a Mediterranean climate moderated by the cool influences of the Atlantic Ocean, with warm summers and refreshing nights that allow for a slow and balanced ripening of the grapes. This combination of terroir and climate gives Kadette Pinotage a fruity intensity and aromatic elegance while retaining a natural freshness: the well-drained soils promote healthy vines and controlled yields, ensuring a beautiful aromatic concentration in the wine.

The winemaking process for this cuvée is carried out with care to maximize the expression of the grape variety while offering an approachable and balanced style. After hand or machine harvesting at optimal ripeness, the grapes ferment in traditional open vats, often made of concrete. Fermentation is followed by malolactic fermentation, and then the wine is aged for approximately 12 months in second- and third-fill French oak barrels , which impart structure and complexity without masking the freshness of the fruit. This approach combines tradition and modernity to produce a Pinotage that is both luscious and well-structured, true to the Kanonkop style.

This wine reveals notes of small red fruits , cherry, blackberry, ripe plum , nutmeg , roasted coffee , and smoky spices . On the palate, a pleasant acidity provides vibrancy while highlighting the roundness of the fruit and the fine, silky tannins, offering a harmonious texture.

The first grape vines were planted in South Africa by Dutch settlers in the 1650s, although wine production did not really take off until the arrival of French Protestants in the 1680s with their skills and knowledge of viticulture. Stellenbosch is also a historic wine region, with the first vineyards being planted there in the 1690s. Today, South Africa is one of the most important wine producing countries in the Southern Hemisphere. With over 300 years of winemaking history, it is often described as a bridge between the Old and New Worlds. The majority of wines are produced using New World winemaking techniques, but they often share more in common stylistically with their Old World counterparts. Since the end of apartheid, South African wine has received international attention and acclaim for its wide variety of styles. South Africa's wine industry is spread across the lush and rugged landscape of the Western Cape. Here, the abundance of mountains, valleys and plateaus allows winemakers to produce a wide variety of styles. Vineyards are also found in the Orange River region of the Northern Cape, where the flat, arid landscape is dominated by the Kalahari Desert. Most of South Africa's wine regions have a Mediterranean climate, heavily influenced by the meeting of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The country's signature grape variety is Pinotage, an indigenous cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsault that is rarely found in quantity in other wine-producing countries. Shiraz (Syrah) is also widely planted, as are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (often combined in a Bordeaux blend). South African Chardonnay, Chenin and Sauvignon Blanc have become popular internationally in recent years.