*Bottle #54: 2007 Neil Ellis Stellenbosch Pinotage*Price Tag: $23
*Running Tab: $652
Duh du du DUH! (That was my attempted trumpet horn simulation).
Announcing the second step to my new year blog approach: Guest bloggers! This week, for the inaugural guest blogger kick off, I persuaded another industry wino to consume something other than his boss' juice. Really twisted his arm with free wine. Please welcome N.J.
So here it is, my first guest blogging sesh and my first shot at Pinotage! Pino-wha, you might ask?
"Peeno-taj:" a successful hybridization of Pinot Noir and Cinsault. Professor A South African professor decided to play Grape God in 1925 when he cross-bred this two varieties as "Hermitage" and eventually dubbing it Pinotage. Dionysus might have been a little threatened.
No locally-bred South African varietal is more planted in their soils but the grape itself only takes up around 7% of the available vineyard area. With 60 appellations and many other varietals planted nationwide, this region of Stellenbosch takes the title for Pinotage.
Now Pinotage can sometimes be a little whiney bitch. Although it's easy to farm and rear, major criticisms have been made about the hybrid wine to be containing volatile acids, causing there to be some funky smells coming out of the glass. And that stuff doesn't blow off over time in the glass, it's what you're getting for aromas.
Why it's a pain is because it's entirely up to the winemakers - the fate of this seemingly simplistic varietal lies in the hands of often times equally whiney and bitchy vintners... It is the battle of the divas.
Likewise, here we are faced again with the battle of the wine reviewing divas. In all actuality, N.J. and I agreed on this wine for the most part so there was no hair pulled or nails sharpened...
Both of us being South African virgins, please don't take advantage of us.
Color
NJ: I was struck by the color, an inky purple reminiscent of Syrah that I hadn’t expected.E: Although we were drinking it together, I saw a ruby, almost brick red color. I also have a stigmatism in both eyes...
Nose
NJ: Coming out of the bottle the wine smelled grapey, one-note and not terribly good. After decanting, notes of lavender and violet were surprisingly forward, while subtle earthiness rounded out the nose.
E: I witnessed the wine post-decant, so I found it to have dark, ripened fruit with a tarry, inky, leather-like aroma. That soil/dirty fruit smell that I thought a region known for minerality might add to the wine was definitely present and dark fruits like black currants and some steady plum notes were mixed in.
E: I witnessed the wine post-decant, so I found it to have dark, ripened fruit with a tarry, inky, leather-like aroma. That soil/dirty fruit smell that I thought a region known for minerality might add to the wine was definitely present and dark fruits like black currants and some steady plum notes were mixed in.
Palate
NJ: More soft floral and herbal tones filled the mouth and were well-balanced with the little hints of fresh dark fruit rolled over my tongue. The fruit was like a polite passenger in this wine, quiet, pleasant, kicking in for gas along the way, but never driving.
E: I found this wine to be very well-structured, especially in comparison to Bottle #2 that we consumed following this guy. The dark fruit was more present for me, with a rich and borderline semi-sweet mouth entrance. Soft supple tannins drifted in the mid-palate pushed by waves of the same semi-sweet finish that finalized with those dry, young tannins.
E: I found this wine to be very well-structured, especially in comparison to Bottle #2 that we consumed following this guy. The dark fruit was more present for me, with a rich and borderline semi-sweet mouth entrance. Soft supple tannins drifted in the mid-palate pushed by waves of the same semi-sweet finish that finalized with those dry, young tannins.
Everybody's a Critic
NJ: My only real complaint with this wine was that it was too young. Even after the hour it spent in the decanter, the pepper tones were just a bit strong, and the tannins a bit fine. The combination made for a zesty little finish that was more rustic than the refined nose and mid-palate deserved
E: What he said.
E: What he said.
Last Thoughts
NJ: It was my first time with Pinotage and it was all I could have hoped for: gentle, soft, classy, not vulgar or crass. It knew I was nervous, confused, not sure what to expect. This Pinotage had a slow hand, and it left me wanting more.
E: Perv.
This was a nice bottle of wine, despite it's youth - which I've done some reading and found that Pinotages aren't necessarily known for their aging capabilities so this was actually a good call.
Drink it again? Always. Drink always? Of course.
Score: 8.
E: Perv.
This was a nice bottle of wine, despite it's youth - which I've done some reading and found that Pinotages aren't necessarily known for their aging capabilities so this was actually a good call.
Drink it again? Always. Drink always? Of course.
Score: 8.
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