Kanonkop Pinotage 2023

Kanonkop is a family winery in the Coastal Region of South Africa, on the Simonsberg-Stellenbosch slopes known locally as the red wine bowl for their warm, well-drained sites. This is a varietal Pinotage, the South African crossing of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut, planted on weathered granite and decomposed-granite soils that retain enough water through the dry summer to ripen the grape fully while keeping the wine structured. The warm maritime-influenced climate brings ripe fruit and high alcohol, balanced by cool nights that preserve acidity. Fermentation on the skins extracts colour and the firm phenolics that define the style, and the wine is then aged in oak, where vanilla, toast and a measure of oxygen soften the tannins and add a smoky, spiced edge. The colour is deep and saturated. The nose leads with ripe plum and dark berry fruit, smoke, black pepper and a cocoa note from the barrel. The palate is full bodied and tannic, with concentrated fruit and a long, savoury finish marked by tobacco and dark chocolate. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees and decant. It is built for grilled and roasted red meat.