With the bright days of spring here, Haute Cabrière has recently released the 2016 vintage of its much-loved Chardonnay Pinot Noir blend and its elegant Unwooded Pinot Noir.
The 2016 vintage of the pioneering Haute Cabrière Chardonnay Pinot Noir blend deftly balances the structure and elegance of Chardonnay with the intensity and richness of Pinot Noir. On the palate there is an abundance of bright fruit – white peach, pineapple and lime – underpinned by the red berry notes of the Pinot Noir. The result is a memorable wine ideal for pairing with seafood dishes and salads, or simply chilled and enjoyed on its own.
Constant innovation was the inspiration behind the maiden release, in 2011, of the estate’s first Unwooded Pinot Noir. Often described as a ‘red white wine’, the Unwooded Pinot Noir offers the perfect introduction for non-red wine drinkers to the pleasures of Pinot Noir, and the 2016 vintage is a prime example of this elegant, structured cultivar that has become a calling card of Haute Cabrière.
“The wine really has an amazing ruby colour to complement the bright red berry fruit,” notes cellar master, Takuan von Arnim, who says the 2016 vintage displays particular structure and depth. “As always though, the wine has an alcohol content lower than most Pinot Noirs, which is one of the reasons it’s so popular. Our approach has always been to preserve the elegance of the wine, – making it approachable for both fans of Pinot Noir and those new to this wonderful cultivar.”
Best enjoyed slightly chilled, the Unwooded Pinot Noir is also a versatile food wine, the acidity and freshness providing an ideal foil to everything from rare fillet with rock salt, to seared duck and summery salads.
“At Haute Cabrière everything, including our wine, is about balance and respect,” says Takuan. It’s a philosophy encapsulated on the stone plinth guarding the doors to the mountainside cellar. The equal contributions of Sun, Soil, Vine and Man pay homage to the Haute Cabrière philosophy that great wine is grown in the vineyard – not made in the cellar.
Many winemakers found the hot and dry 2016 vintage one of the most challenging in recent memory. Takuan says he is “delighted with the quality of fruit we harvested”.
“The great advantage of both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir is that they ripen early in the season, so we are able to avoid all the heat and stress of harvesting later in the summer. Our grapes are also strategically planted on the estate, and the magic of blending allows us to work with the very best parcels of fruit.”
Both the Haute Cabrière Chardonnay Pinot Noir and Haute Cabrière Unwooded Pinot Noir are available from the cellar, selected restaurants and retailers countrywide. The cellar door price for both wines is R85 per bottle.
www.cabriere.co.za | 021 876 8500