Paul Cluver Estate Pinot Noir 2024

Paul Cluver farms in Elgin, a cool, high valley near the coast of the Western Cape that has become South Africa's reference point for Pinot Noir. The estate works from Burgundy clones, which suit the climate's long, mild growing season. Sea air and altitude moderate the heat and slow ripening, holding acidity and building aromatic detail, the conditions Pinot Noir needs to keep its freshness and finesse. The berries are sorted individually and cold-soaked for about eight days, a pre-fermentation maceration that draws colour and aroma from the skins before alcohol forms. The musts ferment spontaneously on native yeasts, with some tanks inoculated with Burgundian strains, and the cap of skins is worked gently to manage tannin extraction. Ageing takes place in French oak. The colour is medium ruby. The nose shows dark cherry, raspberry and plum, with rose, a trace of smoke and an earthy, savoury edge. The palate is medium bodied, with bright acidity, fine tannins and a long, mineral finish. Serve at 15 to 16 degrees. It pairs well with duck, roast chicken and mushroom dishes.