Cinsault Heldervallei 2023

Scions of Sinai's Cinsault Heldervallei comes from vines located on Helderberg Mountain, in the heart of South Africa's Coastal Region, near Stellenbosch. This area benefits from the refreshing influence of ocean breezes and abundant sunshine, promoting slow and even ripening. The soils here are primarily composed of decomposed granite and clayey sands, offering good drainage and naturally limiting yields. This unique environment allows the Cinsault to express a delicate and nuanced character, with an identity clearly linked to this singular coastal terroir.

The grapes for the 2023 Cinsault Heldervallei from Scions of Sinai are hand-harvested from old vines in Helderberg, carefully sorted, and then placed in vats as whole bunches for spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, with very gentle extractions to preserve the fruit's finesse. After fermentation, the wine is aged for several months in small, neutral oak barrels, without new oak, to maintain the pure expression of the terroir, before bottling with minimal intervention and typically light filtration.

This wine reveals notes of crisp red berries , fresh raspberry , and wild strawberry , complemented by floral touches of peony and dried rose . Spicy nuances of white pepper and sweet spices mingle with a slightly mineral base, reminiscent of warm stone. The palate is supple and juicy, supported by lively acidity and fine tannins , with a light yet precise structure that extends into a refreshing, saline finish.

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.