Beaumont Family Wines : Jackal's River Pinotage 2019

Floral nose of violets and roses with vibrant notes of crushed raspberries, red cherries and strawberries. Refreshing palate, succulent tannins.

From a vineyard planted in 1974 and a vineyard planted in 1995. This is the only wine Sebastian Beaumont doesn't ferment spontaneously and he acidifies on the skins to drop the pH, because Pinotage can be so volatile and difficult to work with. 34 barrels. Smells like cherry blossom. Tastes of cherries and dark raspberries and a touch of truffle. So fragrant, so elegant, cloves and anise. The acidity feels somehow Italian in its pitch and presence, and perhaps because it comes with a sly, appetising bitterness. Tannins like tucked-in Velcro and chalk. A Saville Row suit dropped on old terracotta tiles. Have South Africans learned how to tame their own beast? (TC)