Pinot Noir 2023

This Pinot Noir comes from the Franschhoek valley, in the Coastal Region of the Western Cape, South Africa. Framed by mountains, this valley founded by French Huguenots in the late 17th century offers slopes where cool nights preserve the grapes' acidity. Based in the heart of Cape Town, Christophe and Sabrina Durand opened the city's first urban winery there in 2014. They work with a small number of partner growers to craft elegant terroir wines in the French tradition.

The grapes are harvested by hand, early in the season, then undergo rigorous berry selection to obtain healthy fruit with high natural acidity. True to the estate's philosophy for reds, fermentation takes place with whole berries, without crushing, to preserve the aromas and elegance of Pinot Noir. Every step in the cellar is carried out with minimal intervention, as gently as possible. The estate does not specify the ageing time of this cuvée, designed to reveal all the purity of the grape variety.

This wine reveals notes of blackberry, black cherry, raspberry, black pepper, black olive, liquorice, forest floor and violet. The young, expressive nose combines black fruit, spice and a saline touch of olive. The palate is taut and structured, juicy, carried by vibrant freshness and well-integrated natural acidity. Fine, slightly spicy tannins accompany an elegant, persistent finish.

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.