Bona Fide 2024

Bona Fide is the Latin term for "In Good Trust" which refers to the relationship with the owners of the vineyards, the Lötter family, who were the first family to plant vines in Hemel-en-Aarde 30 years ago . The plot's northwest orientation and low elevation combine to produce warm conditions but this is offset by the proximity to the ocean. The soils are rocky, with heavy clay and a proportion of decomposed shale. This vineyard is the lowest of all Crystallum Pinot noir vineyards and is often picked first. Meticulously picked by hand, the juice of the grapes (70% whole bunches) is fermented using natural yeasts and aged for 11 months in oak barrels (20% of which are new). The aromas jostle, we smell candied cherry , sweet spices and red rose mingling with smoky notes and wild herbs . The palate is smooth and textured, with dark chocolate , soy , plum , nutmeg and clove adding a savory balance to the fresh, spicy red fruits. Firm tannins and fresh acidity maintain structure, resulting in an extraordinarily long finish and ensuring superb aging.

The first vines were planted in South Africa by Dutch settlers in the 1650s, although wine production did not really begin to take off until the arrival of French Protestants, in the 1680s, with their skills and their 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 have 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 can also be 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, strongly 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 Cinsaut 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.