Crystallum Mabalel 2024

Crystallum is the label of brothers Andrew and Peter-Allan Finlayson, who work the cool maritime pockets of the Western Cape South Coast. Mabalel is their Pinot Noir from the Overberg, in the Walker Bay area of southwestern South Africa, named after a figure from a poem by Eugène Marais. The vineyards sit close to the Atlantic, where sea breezes and a wide day-to-night temperature swing slow ripening and hold natural acidity, the conditions Pinot Noir needs to keep its perfume and freshness in a warm country. The wine spends twelve months in used French oak, so the barrel adds slow oxygen and gentle structure rather than overt wood flavour, letting the fruit stay clear. The colour is pale to medium ruby. The nose leads with red cherry and wild strawberry, with rose petal and a savoury, earthy undertone. The palate is medium bodied and fine boned, with bright acidity, soft tannins and a cool, mineral line running to a clean finish. Serve at 14 to 16 degrees, ideally decanted for half an hour, in a wide bowled glass. It suits roast duck, guinea fowl and mushroom dishes.