Southern Right Pinotage 2023
We have 12 in stock (Inventory is live and accurate)
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The Land
Pinotage is South Africa's own grape, a crossing of Pinot Noir and Cinsault, and it has a reputation problem: made carelessly it can taste of burnt rubber and paint. Southern Right exists to prove the opposite. The winery sits in the cool, wind-scoured Hemel-en-Aarde Valley near Hermanus, just a few kilometers from the Atlantic at Walker Bay, on some of the oldest, stoniest, clay-rich shale soils in the Cape. Anthony Hamilton-Russell's bet was that Pinotage, an early ripener, would show its best in a cool maritime climate that slows ripening and builds structure and complexity rather than heat and jam. The name is a nod to the southern right whales that gather in the bay each winter.
The Wine
Pinotage grown mostly on cool, clay-rich sites in the Walker Bay and Hemel-en-Aarde area, with a portion from the warmer Swartland for depth. The low-vigor, stony clay soils are the key: they slow the vine down and give the wine its structure and its more classic, less rustic fruit profile. Aged in French oak, it shows dark plum, black cherry, blackberry, a little baking spice, and a savory, earthy undertone, with fine, ripe tannins and a fresh, structured finish that owes everything to those cool sites. This is Pinotage made with a straight face, built to age. 2023 was a well-regarded vintage in the Cape.
The People
Southern Right was founded in 1994 by Anthony Hamilton-Russell, whose family estate, Hamilton Russell Vineyards, is one of the southernmost and most respected wineries in Africa. He created Southern Right as a specialist project with one conviction: that Pinotage, farmed in the right cool, clay-rich sites, could be a genuinely world-class, distinctly South African wine. The team farms low-vigor shale soils and picks by site rather than by convenience. A share of the winery's proceeds has long supported marine conservation, in keeping with the whale on the label.
Food Pairing
This is a red with the structure and savory edge for hearty, smoky food. Pour it with a braai or grilled lamb, with a beef or venison stew, with barbecued ribs, or with a mushroom and lentil dish. Its dark fruit and spice also stand up to a spiced sausage or a burger off the grill. Serve it at cool room temperature. The kind of bottle that changes minds about what Pinotage can be.
We ship wine to most states with a $100 minimum order for shipping. We don't ship spirits nor beer.
Weather shipping advisory: Orders placed during times of extreme heat or extreme cold will be held for no charge until more favorable weather returns.
The Cape South Coast wine region, located southeast of Cape Town, stands as the coolest region overall in South Africa, defined by its maritime climate. Influenced by the cold Atlantic winds and the warmer Indian Ocean, the area produces wines that are a result of this unique climate. The district of Cape Agulhas benefits from strong, cooling Atlantic winds and is located near the southern most point of Africa, and known for its Sauvignon Blanc. Elgin, only an hour east of Cape Town, and characterized by a cooler climate and mountainous terrain, produces Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Shiraz. Lastly, Walker Bay is centered around the town of Hermanus and is home to the wards of Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley and Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, with a focus on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
