Kleine Zalze Cellar Selection Pinotage

Additional information

Origin	Coastal Region, South Africa
Main grapes	Pinotage
Other grapes	Not Blend
Vintage	2021
Bottle sizes	75cl

Description

Kleine Zalze Cellar Selection Pinotage is part of the winery’s range of accessible, fruit-driven wines which offer great value with classic South African flavour profiles. This is an exquisite and easy-drinking expression of Pinotage and is bottled as a Wine of Origin Coastal Region.

About Kleine Zalze

Kleine Zalze is a South African winery in the heart of the Cape Winelands. The history of winemaking can be traced back as far as 1695. However, the modern history of the estate began when Kobus Basson and his family bought the property in 1996, and there was a large stride forward. In 1996 the estate was scientifically mapped to find the best terroir for different grape varieties and seventeen years of subsequent investment have seen Kleine Zalze become one of the most highly regarded wineries in South Africa. In September 2022 ownership passed to French-owned AdVini, a world-renowned French wine company, thereby beginning a new chapter for Kleine Zalze Wines.

An Award-Winning Winery

The winery achieved new heights in 2020 by being named Top Performing Winery of the Year by Platter’s South African Wine Guide, which is the South African bible. More recently, Kleine Zalze won four Double Golds and the Best Achiever award at the highly acclaimed Veritas Awards 2022.

Kleine Zalze Cellar Selection Pinotage Winemaking

The grapes for the Kleine Zalze Cellar Selection Pinotage come principally from the Stellenbosch wine-growing region and are blended with parcels from other regions such as Durbanville. After harvest, the grapes were destemmed and transferred to tank for “whole-berry” fermentation. 50% of the wine was fermented in open cement tanks with regular punch downs and pump-overs to extract tannin and colour. The other 50% was fermented in closed stainless steel tank and pumped over every 8 hours. The wines were pressed before complete alcoholic fermentation to ensure soft tannins and avoid any over-extraction. The wine was matured in 2nd and 3rd fill barrels for 12 months before blending and bottling.

Kleine Zalze Cellar Selection Pinotage is suitable for vegans and vegetarians.

Tasting Notes

Kleine Zalze Cellar Series Pinotage is a very elegant and easy-drinking expression of Pinotage, the aroma is reminiscent of mulberries and ripe plums, nuanced with a smoky undertone. The wine shows a lot of juicy red fruit on the palate with subtle floral and fynbos notes on the finish.

Food Pairing

This wine is great on its own but can also be successfully paired with the quintessential smoky South African braaied meats as well as their vegetable alternatives, or even an aromatic curry.