Meerlust Pinot Noir
£30.00
£40.00 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
In Stock — 6 bottles available
93Tim Atkin SA Special Report 2024
89.3CellarTracker community average
Stellenbosch isn't where you'd expect to find serious Pinot Noir, which is exactly why Meerlust's version is such a quiet thrill. Grown in the coolest corners of one of South Africa's most historic estates, just five kilometres from False Bay, this is Pinot with perfume, finesse and a savoury edge. Elegant enough for a special meal, characterful enough to remember.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
Our Verdict
We list a lot of South African Pinot Noir, and Meerlust's earns its place by doing something most can't, combining genuine Stellenbosch warmth with the lifted, floral lightness Pinot lovers actually want. It's the bottle we reach for when someone says they love red Burgundy but wants to try something different. Drinkers who care about texture will notice the finish: lacy, fine-grained, properly Pinot. One of our most reliably popular Meerlust wines, and a quietly brilliant introduction to what cool-corner Stellenbosch can do with this grape.
Tasting Notes
Lifted floral perfume rises first, violets and rose petal, followed by a darker, brooding core of black cherry, forest berry and crushed musk. Underneath, wild mushroom, iron filings and a savoury, almost gamey spice add real intrigue. The palate is pure Pinot: red cherry and pomegranate carried on bright, mouthwatering acidity, with layers unfurling rather than shouting. The finish is the giveaway, fine, lacy, almost powdery tannins that whisper rather than grip, leaving a vibrant mineral echo.
Dark cherry & forest berry
A brooding core of black and red cherry, wild bramble and musk, ripe Pinot fruit with depth, not just sweetness.
Wild mushroom & iron
That unmistakable Pinot savouriness, forest floor, mushroom, a hint of iron, adding the complexity serious drinkers chase.
Lifted floral perfume
Violets and rose petal lift from the glass, giving the wine its perfume and signalling the elegance to come.
About This Wine
Pinot Noir is famously fussy about where it grows, which makes Meerlust's success with it all the more impressive. The estate sits fifteen kilometres south of Stellenbosch, with the blue arc of False Bay just down the road, close enough that ocean breezes sweep through the vines each afternoon and evening mists soften the summer heat. That maritime cool is the secret. It's what allows Pinot Noir, a grape that usually demands a Burgundian climate, to ripen slowly and hold onto its perfume.
In the glass, you get the floral lift you'd hope for, then darker, more brooding notes underneath, wild mushroom, musk, a hint of iron and spice. The palate is pure red cherry and Pinot fruit, threaded with fresh acidity and finishing on those fine, almost powdery tannins that mark a properly made example. There's elegance here, but also a sun-warmed generosity that's distinctly Cape rather than Côte d'Or.
The winemaking is patient and old-school: whole-bunch fermentation, twice-daily pigeage by hand, and ageing across a large French oak foudre alongside smaller Allier hogsheads. The result drinks beautifully now with duck, mushroom risotto, Parma ham or a piece of grilled tuna, and it'll happily evolve over the next several years if you can resist.
Delivered to your door anywhere in the UK, and a thoughtful gift for anyone who already knows Burgundy and is ready to see what the Cape can do.
Food Pairing
This is a Pinot that flexes both ways. The fruit handles roast duck or a herb-crusted rack of lamb beautifully, while the savoury, mushroomy edge makes it brilliant with earthier dishes, a wild mushroom risotto, or seared tuna with a soy glaze. For something simpler, Parma ham with figs, or a board of nutty alpine cheeses, lets the perfume sing.
- —Roast duck breast with cherry jus
- —Wild mushroom and thyme risotto
- —Seared tuna with soy and ginger
- —Herb-crusted rack of lamb
- —Parma ham with figs and aged Gruyère
How to Serve
Temperature
Lightly chilled. Twenty minutes in the fridge before serving keeps the perfume vivid and the tannins fresh.
Decanting
No need to decant, but pour gently into the glass and give it ten or fifteen minutes. The aromatics open quickly, and over-aerating risks blowing off the delicate floral lift that makes this wine.
Glass
A wide Burgundy bowl is non-negotiable, it gathers the perfume and softens the acidity on entry.
Cellaring
Store on its side at a steady 12–14°C, away from light and vibration. Drinking well now, but rewards a further five to ten years in a proper cellar.
Behind the Wine
Meerlust's Pinot Noir vineyards sit in the cooler southern fringes of Stellenbosch, where Atlantic breezes from False Bay and evening sea mists drift inland to temper the summer heat. That maritime cooling is everything for Pinot Noir, it stretches the ripening period, locking in natural acidity while letting flavours build slowly. Combined with low-yielding bush-trained vines and the estate's signature deep, well-drained soils, the result is a wine of restraint rather than weight, all perfumed red fruit and bright, savoury freshness.
Ageing Potential
Drink now for the lifted floral lift and primary cherry fruit, or cellar for five to ten years. With time, the powdery tannins integrate further and those savoury, mushroomy, gamey notes deepen, classic Pinot tertiary territory that rewards patience.
The Land
The vines are rooted in deep, well-drained Hutton and Clovelly soils, weathered, granitic profiles that hold just enough moisture to see vines through dry summers without ever forcing the fruit. That combination of cool maritime air above and free-draining soils below pushes the grapes towards concentration and finesse rather than power.
The Winemaking
Whole bunches go into tank, where wild yeasts kick off a gentle, partial fermentation and the cap is hand-plunged twice a day, a slow coaxing rather than an extraction. The juice then goes directly into French oak hogsheads for malolactic, which softens the wine while preserving its lift. Ageing is split: a quarter sits in a single 2,500-litre foudre, with the rest in 300-litre Allier casks, 60% new and 40% second-fill. The bigger oak format breathes without dominating, and the result is layered tannin with no woody hard edges.
About the Producer
Meerlust
Meerlust, Dutch for 'pleasure of the sea', has been making wine since 1693, and the Myburgh family have held the estate since 1756. It was Nico Myburgh's visit to Bordeaux in 1967 that changed everything. He recognised the climatic kinship between the Eerste River Valley and the great estates of the Left Bank, and set about planting Cabernet Franc, a first for Stellenbosch. The Rubicon, first released in 1984, became South Africa's pioneering Bordeaux-style blend and remains the estate's flagship, accounting for roughly half of total production. Now in the hands of eighth-generation owner Hannes Myburgh, with winemaker Wim Truter at the helm since 2020, Meerlust continues to balance heritage with quiet evolution. The estate is a declared national monument, a fitting status for a property that helped shape the modern Cape wine landscape.