Bellevue Estate Pinotage

Bellevue Estate Pinotage

Pinotage is the love child of Pinot Noir and Cinsault, and Bellevue were one of the first estates to plant it commercially, back in 1953. As guardians of the Pinotage legacy, they take even their ‘standard’
bottling very seriously, making it in a hands-off way to allow the fruit to shine

TASTING NOTE

Fruit-driven with food-friendly acidity, this wine exhibits delightful red plum, cherry and raspberry flavours, complemented by a silky tannin structure and a lingering finish. Wonderful with roast beef, a rich oxtail stew or even (for something different) a braaied galjoen.

IN THE VINEYARD

Their extensive Pinotage vineyards, rooted in diverse soil compositions, are predominantly cultivated as bush vines. Planted between 1959 and 1996, most blocks benefit from drip irrigation.

IN THE CELLAR
The grapes underwent a cold soak prior to inoculation. The wine fermented for about four days, with aerated pump-overs three times daily. After completing both alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in tank, the wine was matured in French-coopered American oak barrels.

Pinotage was cultivated by Prof A.I. Perold around 1925 when he crossed Cinsault and Pinot noir. The first Pinotage cuttings made their way onto Bellevue soil in the early 1950’s when P.K. Morkel was attempting to obtain Gamay Noir for planting. He was not able to find the cultivar he was looking for and approached the Agricultural College at Elsenburg.

He was advised to try the newly developed variety, called Pinotage. At that stage, there were no commercial plantings of this variety, only experimental vines cultivated by the college. In 1953, together with Paul Sauer from Kanonkop, P.K. Morkel was one of the first few farmers to plant Pinotage on a commercial scale. His bold step paid off, since Bellevue’s Pinotage was awarded the Genl. Smuts Trophy in 1959, being the best young wine on the Cape Wine Show.

To salute the vision and bravery of P.K. Morkel, Bellevue takes utmost care of the 1953 Pinotage block which is still in production. It remains the pride and joy of Bellevue and a very special wine is made from this block, called Bellevue Heritage Pinotage.

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Bellevue Estate Pinotage