Pinotage Club
Pinotage Winery List

Dense, almost black colour, soft warm approachable, little apparent tannin, very drinkable. (9/01)

Appearance: deep plum, clear
Nose: rasberries, bananas, vanilla, forthcoming
Palate: dry, crisp, rasberries, bananas, vanilla, good aftertaste. good fruit/acid/ balance
Conclusion:good structure. follows through from nose to palate. Too young - better when tannins softer. Leave for at least 10 years. 90% new french oak for 14 months. Buy now and keep. (J Mort 3/2000)

This is black-red in colour and has huge depth. Extremely powerful and solid, the nose is borderline farmyard complexity - mercaptan faulty, yet there is no denying its quality. The palate reflects the nose with it's spice, tobacco, chocolate, coffee and cherry flavours backed by the wood and pungent complexity. Great extraction, this needs cellaring. 17.5 - 18.5/20 (15/05/00 Raymond Chan at Regional Wines, NZ)

Medium to full depth colour, intense ruby heart to mulberry rim Open nose, with wood spice, tarriness, marmite, beef extract, shoe polish, some chemical whiffs, leather, black fruits, smokiness, some stinkiness Dry entry, firm tannins, nose follows through onto palate, some chemical elements, some bitterness, tarry, some fruit in background. Medium length and good structure. Very disjointed still.
I tasted this blind, and at first thought it to be something from the Rhone valley, but the fruit on the palate has a New World character, and with some swirling in the glass I came back to pinotage.
Some weeks before the above tasting, I had the wine at a dinner party, where it was decanted at least an hour before it was served. This made a big difference to the wine, and although still tight, it was good with rare roast beef.
So it seems at this stage you either keep the wine or make sure you decant it! (tasted 07/99 by Rudolph Erasmus)

It had a leafy, herbal aroma at first then berries. In the palate it was leafy and tannic with dusty, pongy, acidic and sour flavours. Nick, a friend tasting at the same time, said he found 'black olives' which is what I attributed to be sourness. It did, however, have a lengthy finish. I wonder whether we had a bad bottle or perhaps 1997 was not such a good vintage in South Africa.( tasted 07/99 by Sue Courtney)

Chocolate plums, tremendous structure and tannins, this is still a baby, incredible long aftertaste. Excellent(PFM 05/2002)
1995

Soft and full, with intense fruits, lots of oak and an almost floral bouquet, this is a powerful wine, with layer after layer of dark cherries, ripe plums and currants that continue to unfold, this is a wine that is drinking well now but will age well for at least 4 - 5 years longer. Score 92. (Consistent with findings of an earlier tasting). ( Daniel Rogov 7/99)

Opaque purple-coloured wine, exhibiting a complex bouquet of raspberries, youngberries, sweet cherries, loganberries. Sweet fruit all but masks buttery, creamy tannins with excellently integrated acid structure. In the mouth there is astonishing richness, medium to full-bodied and a chewy finish that, however, ends fairly abruptly after 10 secs. Interestingly, given extended aeration, the initially Burgundian characteristics give way to stronger cassis and licorice flavours. David pointed out that the wine developed Grenache-like flavours typically associated with wines from the Languedoc, thereby identifying the ringer in this blind tasting. This is one of the best South African Pinotages I ever tasted and is highly commended: kudos to winemaker Beyers Truter for this remarkable effort [92v]. ( tasted by Victor Randall 8/99)

Closed nose, soft warm palate, very soft subdued cherry flavours and ripe tannins (PFM 02/2003)
1993

Full bodied, concentrated and with an abundance of oak this truly lovely wine has plenty of smooth tannins and flavors of blackurrants and plums that linger nicely onthe palate. Drinkable now but should store well for another 3 - 4 years. Score 92. ( Daniel Rogov 7/99)

Appearance: plum, brown edges, clear Nose: strawberries, bananas, vanilla,forthcoming, farmyard/mushroom, no off odours Palate: strawberries, bananas, vanilla, well balanced re fruit/tannin/acid, smooth. Good aftertaste Conclusion: Good balance, well structured, follows through from nose to palate. Complex wine. Excellant now and will stay great for a few years. Has been wooded. Good food wine. (Jane Mort 01/00)

Unusual for Kanonkop because this wine is far softer than one has come to expect. That is not a drawback, however, for this full-bodied wine is loaded with pleasant chocolate and wild berry flavors and aromas and flavors that seem to linger on and on after the wine has been swallowed. Drinking well now, but should store well for several years longer. Score 89. ( Daniel Rogov 7/99)

1995 - Wow - what a taste explosion. Plum - so typical of pinotage, great bouquet bursting with fruit. Lovely bright colour. A fruit sweet taste with a dry aftertaste. This is what pinotage should be. A wonderful wine. More please. Winemaker Kosie Mösie, matured in French oak barrels.