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| Country: | South Africa |
| Region: | Western Cape |
| Winery: | Kershaw |
| Grape Type: | Pinot Noir |
| Vintage: | 2022 |
| Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Kershaw Smugglers Boot Pinot Noir is made from 100% Pinot Noir made from French clones PN667, PN115 and PN113.
The name derives from the time of trade embargoes in South Africa when growers & winemakers smuggled grapevine material into the country by hiding the cuttings in Wellington boots. The Smuggler’s Boot range celebrates that ingenuity.
Attractive strawberry, savory and star anise spice linger on the nose. Juicy and sumptuous on the mid palate with breadth of flavor offset by a nimbleness of fresh acidity, friable tannins and sinuous mouthfeel, this Pinot unwraps to earthy, fennel, chocolate and a hint of incense to a long supple finish.
Handpicked grapes were first bunch sorted on a conveyor before the stems were removed and the destemmed berries sorted to remove jacks and substandard berries. After a 3-day maceration in 500kg open-topped fermenters, the uncrushed grapes began a spontaneous fermentation. A gentle pigeage program was charted and the grapes remained on skins for 10-16 days.
The free-run wine was racked to a combination of 50% French oak barrels (10% new) and 50% breathable plastic eggs with the remaining pomace basket-pressed. Malolactic then proceeded followed by a light sulphuring after which the wine was racked off Malolactic lees and returned to cleaned barrels for an 11-month maturation. No finings, simply racked and light filtration prior to bottling.
Richard Kershaw’s personal suggestions for dishes include charcuterie, its salt and fat being complemented by the delicate spicy notes and fruit; Pork loin with honey, pepper, and lemon-zest glaze; Carpaccio; duck cassoulet; ovenroasted monkfish with garlic mashed potatoes; seared tuna; wild mushroom risotto; a simple beet salad with some hazelnuts and ricotta cheese; a slice of Brie or Gorgonzola dolce.
Surrounded by mountains, the Elgin district sits in the Western Cape of South Africa. The year-round cool climate is perfect for producing grapes with rich, subtle flavors.
Focusing on apposite noble grapes, i.e. ones with the ability to produce world-class examples, our Kershaw Elgin Chardonnay, Syrah and Pinot Noir and Kershaw Deconstructed Chardonnay and Syrah are made by South Africa’s only winemaking Master of Wine, Richard Kershaw.
Richard Kershaw Wines was established in January 2012 to create clonally selected, site-specific, cool climate wines in the Elgin Valley, South Africa’s coolest wine region. Focusing on apposite noble grapes, i.e. ones with the ability to produce world-class examples, our Kershaw Elgin Chardonnay, Syrah and Pinot Noir and Kershaw Deconstructed Chardonnay and Syrah are made by South Africa’s only winemaking Master of Wine, Richard Kershaw.
Winery Philosophy: Our commitment is to make the best wines possible from the vine clones best suited to our unique terroir. Our grapes are grown in the cool climate vineyards of Elgin in the Western Cape of South Africa. We produce only a very limited number of cases of Kershaw Elgin Chardonnay and Kershaw Elgin Syrah each vintage. Our aim always is to produce some of the best wines of their style in South Africa.
Owner: Richard Kershaw MW
Date Founded: January 2012
Born and raised in the UK, Richard travelled extensively before settling in South Africa in 1999 to make wine full time. He established Richard Kershaw Wines in January 2012 to create clonally selected, site-specific, cool climate wines in the Elgin Valley, the country’s coolest wine region, choosing to focus on apposite noble grapes (ones with the ability to produce world-class examples) and now has a stable of award-winning, much in demand wines including Kershaw Elgin Chardonnay, Syrah and Pinot Noir and Kershaw Deconstructed Chardonnay and Syrah.
One of only 10 Masters of Wine who actively make their own wines and South Africa’s only winemaking Master of Wine, Richard is much in demand when not in the vineyard or cellar. A wine show judge for many prestigious competitions around the globe, he is also part of the educational panel for the Institute of Masters of Wine, lectures for the WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) in South Africa, and shares the breadth of his knowledge with students and consumers via talks, tastings and blogs.
Our grapes are grown in the cool climate vineyards of Elgin in the Western Cape of South Africa. We produce a limited number of cases of Kershaw Elgin Chardonnay, Syrah and Pinot Noir each vintage under our Clonal Selection range, and site- soil- and clone- specific Elgin Chardonnay and Syrah in our Deconstructed range. We have recently introduced our GPS Series range which explores unusual sites from outside the Elgin region, and our Smuggler's Boot range in which Richard uses a variety of winemaking techniques to produce easy drinking wines. Our aim always is to produce some of the best wines of their style in South Africa.
The Elgin Valley benefits from higher altitude, ocean proximity, specific cloud cover sequencing, high cold units and a large diurnal range, similar to Southern Burgundy and the Northern Rhône, which enables the germane grapes, Chardonnay and Syrah, to show a sense of place.
Kershaw Elgin Chardonnay makes use of the lower-yielding Dijon clones, namely 76, 95 & 96 (developed at the University of Burgundy in Dijon, France), offering a restrained, mineral style focused on elegance with a white, fruit character, some oatmeal, and complexity gained from percipient wood.
Kershaw Elgin Syrah makes use of local clones 9c and 22 giving subtlety and precision built on fine tannins that educe harmony, freshness and flavours of black fruit, iodine, medicinal notes and black pepper.
Kershaw Elgin Pinot Noir makes use of French clones PN667, PN115 and PN113 giving floral attributes underscored by purity, focus and freshness framed by fine powder tannins yet cushioned by a succulent texture and flavours of black cherry, pomegranate, rose petal and raspberry.
Each Clonal Selection wine is made from 3-4 small parcels on terroir-specific plots with particular soils types. Each Deconstructed wine is made from clone specific, soil specific site in Elgin. They are all handpicked into small lugs and vinified in Elgin travelling no more than 10-15 minutes between vineyard and cellar, avoiding unnecessary crushing and premature juice oxidation. In the cellar, they are handled minimally using a gravity-fed system that avoids pumping and no products are added to the wine.
Winemaker: Richard Kershaw MW
Kershaw Smugglers Boot Pinot Noir is made from 100% Pinot Noir made from French clones PN667, PN115 and PN113.
The name derives from the time of trade embargoes in South Africa when growers & winemakers smuggled grapevine material into the country by hiding the cuttings in Wellington boots. The Smuggler’s Boot range celebrates that ingenuity.
Attractive strawberry, savory and star anise spice linger on the nose. Juicy and sumptuous on the mid palate with breadth of flavor offset by a nimbleness of fresh acidity, friable tannins and sinuous mouthfeel, this Pinot unwraps to earthy, fennel, chocolate and a hint of incense to a long supple finish.
Handpicked grapes were first bunch sorted on a conveyor before the stems were removed and the destemmed berries sorted to remove jacks and substandard berries. After a 3-day maceration in 500kg open-topped fermenters, the uncrushed grapes began a spontaneous fermentation. A gentle pigeage program was charted and the grapes remained on skins for 10-16 days.
The free-run wine was racked to a combination of 50% French oak barrels (10% new) and 50% breathable plastic eggs with the remaining pomace basket-pressed. Malolactic then proceeded followed by a light sulphuring after which the wine was racked off Malolactic lees and returned to cleaned barrels for an 11-month maturation. No finings, simply racked and light filtration prior to bottling.
Richard Kershaw’s personal suggestions for dishes include charcuterie, its salt and fat being complemented by the delicate spicy notes and fruit; Pork loin with honey, pepper, and lemon-zest glaze; Carpaccio; duck cassoulet; ovenroasted monkfish with garlic mashed potatoes; seared tuna; wild mushroom risotto; a simple beet salad with some hazelnuts and ricotta cheese; a slice of Brie or Gorgonzola dolce.
Merryvale Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2022 is made from Pinot Noir.
From the cool, fog-swept vineyards of the Sonoma Coast — including fruit from the celebrated Durell and Sunchase sites — this is Merryvale's elegant, Burgundian-minded take on California Pinot Noir. A mix of Dijon and heritage clones (667, Pommard, 777 and 828) was largely destemmed, fermented with native yeasts, and aged about ten months in roughly 40% new French oak — restraint that lets the fruit lead. Expect a perfumed, silky glass: black cherry, raspberry and dark berry lifted by forest floor, cola spice and a whisper of graham cracker, with bright acidity and fine, polished tannins carrying a long finish. Lovely now and over the next decade.
Winery Info: Merryvale Vineyards was founded in 1983 and makes its home in the historic Sunny St. Helena winery on Main Street — a stone landmark built in 1933 as the first winery raised in the Napa Valley after Prohibition, and the cellar where Robert and Peter Mondavi first made wine with their father, Cesare. The Schlatter family has owned and run Merryvale since the 1990s, today led by René Schlatter. At its heart lies the Historic Cask Room, where two stories of century-old 2,000-gallon oak casks line the walls. Four decades on, Merryvale remains a quintessential St. Helena house.
Review:
A wonderful interplay of brightness and savoriness captures the elegance of wines from the Sonoma Coast. Aromas of crushed red raspberries, sauteed mushrooms and wild blackberries. On the palate there’s red fruit and black pepper, with bright, crunchy acidity and taut tannins. The finish is long, with umami flavors. Medium-bodied. Drink or hold.
-James Suckling 94 Points
Kershaw Pinot Noir Deconstructed Kogelberg Sandstone PN115 is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Only two barrels made. The inspiration for these Deconstructed Pinot Noir’s stems from my belief that the Elgin region boasts credentials that make it world-class. My mandate has been to prove that Elgin has a signature grape synonymous with the area and exhibits specific ‘terroirs’ (mesoclimates) within its demarcated boundary, reflecting regional distinctions. To fully comprehend this, it is necessary to dig deeper into the DNA that makes up our region. As such, I split Elgin into seven different sub-regions or zones whereby each zone identifies with a particular topographical or climatic nuance. Within these zones, I then selected specific vineyards and further an individual clone. This wine is from the South Western part of Elgin, in the Kogelberg biosphere. The Sandstone soils lend lightness, elegance and lift in the mid-palate, very subtle. PN115 tends to be more broad and structured but on these soils still has a lovely lift.
Tasting Notes : Light to medium cerise; intense and attractive aromas of strawberry, Bing cherry, orange peel and dark chocolate. The perfume lingers into the palate as the entry is medium-bodied, juicy, ripe and silky-textured. A pulsating acidity coated by fleshy red plums, cherry compote and tinned strawberry. Intermingled are wisps of incense, almost peat notes from an earthier wood content giving a beguiling interplay of wood and fruit. Complex with excellent concentration, the wine has a crushed velvet tannin and persistency that lingers on for many minutes.
Pair with roast duck breast with a raspberry glaze.
Review:
-Tim Atkin, South Africa Report 2023 95 Points
Argot Bastard Tongue Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Sonoma Pinot Noir.
Inheriting an unbroken string of success, the “Bastard Tongue” arrives fully-formed and ready to impress. Always a blend from multiple Pinot Noir vineyards, this iteration of “BT” was selected from three distinct sites, each making their own unique contribution of Sonoma County terroir to the wine’s character.
Exploding forth on a tidal wave of high-toned, intense red and black fruits, this is a Pinot Noir that no stemware can contain. The palate’s profound depth is balanced by an inherent freshness, allowing the wine to crackle with brambly energy, while sustained by bass notes of underbrush, black tea, pie spice and baker’s chocolate. A formidable rendition of “Bastard Tongue”, and a deserving successor to its line.
Night harvested by hand throughout September, cluster and berry sorted by hand, de-stemmed, no crushing. 7-day cold soaks, followed by native fermentation in open-top bins. Average time on the skins, 14 days. Aging 20 months in French oak, 100% new. Never racked prior to bottling. Bottled unfined, unfiltered.
Very versatile for pairing. Goes well with grilled meat, vegetable, fish, poultry and cheese.
Review:
“The 2022 ‘Bastard Tongue’ Pinot Noir from Argot is utterly mind-blowing. It immediately draws you in with its seductive aromatic of fresh black raspberries, wild strawberries and even a touch of blueberry all woven together with sweet spices, cinnamon, crushed violets and earthy undertones. On the palate, the wine is both rich and graceful, with a lively acidity that elevates the sweet red fruit notes of red currant and black raspberries. Fine, polished tannins provide a round, silky texture that leads into a supple finish that lingers with sweet berries and sweet spices.”
Chaume Bourgogne Rouge Pinot Noir 2022 is made from 100% Pinot Noir.Color: bright ruby red
Bouquet: blackcurrant, raspberry and hints of blackberry
Bouche / Palate: smooth attack, balanced, fine tannins and smooth finish
Butterflied lamb, char-grilled steak, venison. Dishes like cassoulet or duck with olives if they're more rustic. Roast goose.
Cristom Pinot Noir Louise Vineyard 2022 is made from 100% Pinot Noir.
Cristom Vineyards was founded in 1992 by the Gerrie family in the Eola-Amity Hills of Oregon's Willamette Valley, farming their east-facing volcanic hillside biodynamically and organically. Their single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, each named for a woman in the family, are Willamette benchmarks.
Louise Vineyard, planted by the Gerrie family in 1993, sits on the slopes immediately around the winery. It gives a woodsy, higher-toned expression of Eola-Amity Hills Pinot Noir — mossy earth, red fruit and Asian spice over a chiseled, age-worthy frame — from the balanced, classically cool 2022 season.
Review:
From a vineyard the Gerrie family planted in 1993 that sits around the winery, the 2022 Pinot Noir Louise Vineyard reveals a beautiful woodsy profile, with notes of mossy earth and higher-toned red fruit shining through, with cranberries, darker red fruits, and Asian spices. It has a chiseled structure, with fine compact tannins, a refreshing lift, and notes of tea leaf on its long finish. It's going to age with grace over the coming 20 years.
Jeb Dunnuck, 96 points
Review:
-Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points
-James Suckling 95 Points
-Decanter World Wine Awards 95 Points
-Eric Guido (Vinous) 94 Points
Alejandro Bulgheroni Lithology Beckstoffer Las Piedras Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
From a St. Helena vineyard planted by early Napa settler Edward Bale more than 150 years ago, and later serving as the estate vineyard for the area’s first winery built by Henry Pellet in 1860, the Las Piedras site always gives us our prettiest wine. When placed next to Dr. Crane and To-Kalon wines, the Las Piedras show a certain elegance, with a very graceful entry and finely detailed complexity. We produce it with at least 75% new French oak, so there is a floral, spicy, and vanilla accent to the intense red and black fruits, cassis, and black cherry liqueur. What distinguishes this bottling is the beautifully fine tannins, delicate texture, and stunning purity. (Less than 100 cases made.)
Fermentation 70% Oak, 24% Concrete, 6% Puncheon
Review:
-Jeb Dunnuck 98 Points
Rudi Pichler Grüner Veltliner Ried Achleithen Smaragd 2023 is made from 100% Grüner Veltliner.
Grüner Veltliner is the signature grape of Austria and produces a dry white wine with savory aromas, spicy flavors, and good acidity. Grüner Veltliner Smaragd from the Wachau is a full-bodied wine and is rich in style with notes of stone fruit, lemon, radish, and arugula.
Grüner Veltliner’s bright acidity and savory character make it an ideal partner to mildly spiced Vietnamese, Thai, and Chinese flavors. Fish and shellfish are accented by Grüner Veltliner’s citrus and mineral profile while its acidity cuts the richness of pork or ham. It can also work well with foods that are difficult to pair such as bitter greens and asparagus.
Review:
#13 in Top 100 Wines of Austria, 2024. Such an expressive and elegant gruner veltliner. Yes, it has those classic peppery aromas on the medium-bodied palate, but there’s also an entire floral dimension that makes it stand out so prominently. Then comes the extremely long, silky and refined finish that’s incredibly sensuous. Sustainable. Drink or hold.
James Suckling, 98 points