Radford Dale - Vinum Pinotage, Stellenbosch, South Africa (2022)

TASTING NOTES

Raspberry and redcurrant fruit aromas with both intensity and freshness. The palate is bright, vibrant, focused with wild cherry and plum fruit complemented by savoury herbs and spices. Re-think Pinotage - this is Beaujolais-ish & shows purity, freshness with superb drinkability and balance.

Radford Dale is one of South Africa’s leading independent Wineries. Based on the Helderberg Mountain in Stellenbosch, the winery specializes in producing site-specific, natural wines.

Pinotage is a relative newcomer to Radford Dale (their first release came in 2011), yet the varietal has become an integral part of what they do. Simply put, they are looking for purity of fruit and freshness in our expressions.

The grapes for this wine are predominantly from a vineyard located in the northern part of the Stellenbosch region and a quarter of a century old. Their primary objective with this wine was to wild ferment, importantly leading with carbonic maceration, so as to unlock and reveal the hidden side of Pinotage. This whole berry, natural fermentation took place in open-top, 600L oak demi-muids, for a very soft extraction of colour, flavour and tannin. No new oak was used as they wanted the wine to exhibit its freshness while adding texture and complexity.

The team has been an industry leader since the 1990s in chemical free farming, and more recently in low and no sulfur winemaking. They are a founding member of PIWOSA (Premium Independent Wineries of South Africa) which sets ethical, environmental and social uplift standards. Recognizing the social inequality present in South Africa Radford Dale has also set up a trust called Land of Hope to help facilitate bright futures for children, focusing heavily on education.

Alex Dale who owns and manages both projects is an Englishman who grew up spending summers in Burgundy, France. He moved there in his late teens to follow a passion for winemaking and also opened a wine bar in Beaune. He lived in Burgundy for many years before moving to South Africa in 1998, starting Radford Dale with Ben Radford, an Australian. The idea was to produce wines using modern techniques and technology with a healthy respect for tradition, something Alex came to understand well while living in Burgundy.

Wines are made with minimal intervention in order to best express each vineyard’s individuality.