| Natural State | Coastal Region |
|---|---|
| Label used to market Sonop Winery's Cape Soleil - emphasizing its organic status. | |
| Nederburg | Paarl |
| Nederberg have a large modern winery in Paarl at which there is always a waiting list for the tours. The reception area houses samples of their huge range, all with tastfully designed corporate image labels. |
|
|
1999 - Good colour, indistinct nose, on palate there's tar and sour cherries but fruits are dominated by tannins, with tar and mild bitterness on aftertaste. Seems to hark back to old style. (PFM 02/2003 lunch at Oude Libertas)
1997 - One of the South African giants, with excusive 'Auction' wines as well as basic commercial. Though commercial, this version has good pedigree. Fruit from Simonsberg mountain slopes, old bush vines, unirrigated. Light colour and light wine. Mildly ripe with varietal berry fruits, little real structure, a slightly resiny oak note. Clean and vinous at best. Pleasantly plain. 14.5/20 1995 - Despite the basic tobacco and cherry character that typifies the wines of this producer, this wine is too light and too tired and at the end has the dubious charm of the aroma of fermented vegetables. Score 69." (Daniel Rogov 07/99)
| |
| Neetlingshof Estate | Stellenbosch |
|
The premium Lord Neetlingshof is the one to watch, although we wait with interest to see how Neetligshof develops now Philip Constandius (ex Delheim) is in charge. |
|
|
Lord Neethling 1998 - 1998
Eathy, smokey toasted oak is obvious but complexing on the nose but I found some acetate on the palate which was distracting. (Nick Alabaster 10/02) Lord Neethling 1997 - Starting to brown, pepper nose. Harmonious, very sweet. Really complex, perfumed spice coffee and earthy mushrooms, bitter on palate. (01/2002) 1996 - Dry, very smooth with a full flavor and hint of wood with a very nice aftertaste. Although it had a full flavor, it was lighter than other Pinotage wines we have enjoyed. We am saddened because this is the best Pinotage we have enjoyed, since my last bottle of Kanonop, and I only bought one bottle.I believe I paid € 14 ($ 12.50) for the bottle in Holland. A real bargain in my mind. (Randy Layman - Georgia USA - May 2002) 1993 - A rich, very dark red colour in the glass, with a delicate perfume. The taste was not 'up-front', not obvious, not overly fruity, rather austere, closed. Intriguing and a good accompaniment to food. A steady classy classic food wine. (June 1998) |
|
| Neil Ellis Wines | Stellenbosch |
|
|
| Succulent plum flavours with pronounced velvet texture. Pure drinking pleasure. More please. (1996 - tasted Jan 99) | |
| Neil Ellis 'Swansong' | Stellenbosch |
| The name 'Swansong' denotes this is the final vintage from an old block of Pinotage planted in 1973 and uprooted after the vintage. In view of the perfection on the wine produced, and its place as one of the winners of the 1999 Top 10 Pinotage competition, perhaps removing the vines was mistake. |
|
| Wonderful rich velvety wine, redolent with blackcurrents. This is elegant superb wine that shows the heights Pinotage can reach. (1998 tasted August 2000) | |
| Nelson's Creek Estate | Paarl |
| 1999 - unwooded from 5-8 year old vines. Medium garnet colour, fruit drops on mouth, pleasant and easy to drink. (tasted May 2001 at IWSC by PFM) | |
| New Beginnings | Paarl |
|
2002tank sample, winemaker Pieter Jacobs expect to bottle end July 2002. This is the first vintage from New Beginnings own vineyards, planted 1998. Creamy bright red colour, esters on nose and tongue, yeasty. Seems like it will be a light bright quaffing wine but too early to tell. I'd like to try it next year after 6 months in bottle.
1999 Starting to brown, soft warm and approachable, medium aftertaste. Ready now. Very good (PFM 5/2002) | |
| Newton Johnson | Coastal Region |
| 2001 Dark red colour, packed with rich fruit, dark chocolate and tobacco leaves, grippy, tannins on long aftertaste | |
| Niel Joubert | Paarl |
|
The Jouberts farm Klein Simonsvlei, which has been owned by the family for over 100 years.
Niel Joubert tells me his oldest Pinotage vineyard was planted in the '70s and now delivers an almost uneconomical 4 tons per hectare, however its "quality is wonderful". I agree. |
|
|
2001 - A soft perfumed nose reminiscent of dew-dropped roses lead to a full bodied well rounded wine packed with flavours of raspberries and black cherries. There's integrated tannins and a refreshing acidity that invites another glass - and another. Excellent. (PFM 02/2003)
1996 - A pungent cedar-wood nose introduces a dry wine that needs food. This is a serious wine with a complex mix of tastes and perfumes in which plums and cedar come through. As the long aftertaste fades you just have to taste another glass to try and identify and name those tastes. This wine would be ideal at a dinner party: naming it's flavours would be the icebreaker. Lovely! (PFM 05/98) |
|
| Nitida Vineyards | Durbanville |
| 2001 Very dark colour, mothball smell with dusty bitter flavours. Seems faulty, I tasted two bottles which were the same. Not for me. 15.5% alc(PFM 10/02) | |
| Nobilo | New Zealand |
|
This premium winery pioneered Pinotage in New Zealand and has been producing
it since 1970. Grapes handpicked in the
Huapai Vineyard, fermented for seven days on the skins and after malolactic
fermentation, matured in French oak for 15 months.
The 1996 Grand Reserve pinotage was harvested on 23 March 1996: Brix 23.5 Yield7 T/Ha pH 3.73 Total Acidity 6.4gms/lt. Residual Sugar 2.0gms/lt. Alcohol 12.5% Vol. Sue Courtney reports:-The 1994 vintage is the current release. It is made in the traditional European style of fermenting on skins in open vats for 12 days, then extensive ageing in a combination of old and new French oak for 18 months. It is aged for another year in the bottle before release. |
|
| The 1994 wine is soft and savoury with berry fruit flavours. It offers delicious drinking now but could be safely cellared for up to six years. (Sue Courtney) | |
| N'Omana | Coastal Region |
| Available in Germany | |
| Tasting reports welcomed |
|
|
|
5 March 2003
club@pinotage.org