Name: Rijks Pinotage 888 2013
Brand: Rijks
Price: 103.5 EUR
Availability: InStock

Rijks Pinotage 888 2013

Manufacturer: Rijks

The flagship of the winery and one of the best Pinotage in the world. The grapes are harvested by hand at night to preserve the aromatics, the hectare yield is only 5 tons. Before fermentation, the grapes are cold macerated and then "pigeage" or hat dipping is carried out three times a day to extract the tannins, colour and structure of the final wine. Maturation then took place for 22 months in 66% percent new barrel. This is a limited edition of 888 bottles. The wine has a deep ruby colour, aromas of ripe berries and plums, complemented by notes of black pepper and cocoa powder. The palate is full and layered with a great and long finish.

Matouš Forman 95

2013 / 0.75l / 14.5% / Tulbagh - South Africa

About the winery

Rijk's Wine Estate & Hotel is located in Tulbagh. Their story begins with a man who had a dream and the courage to follow it. A lover of good food and a collector of fine wines, Neville Dorrington decided to move to the countryside with his family, grow vines and make his own wine.

The slopes of the land called for it, and analysis of the vertical shale soils revealed the potential for growing high quality grapes at low yields. Having been born on the farm in the same year that Rijk's Estate began planting vineyards, it is not surprising that his son Tiger showed a keen interest in nature and agriculture from an early age.

From the age of five, when he was harvesting vines from a four-wheeler, Tiger knew that one day he wanted to take over the family business. In 2016, Tiger officially joined the farm and has now fully taken over from Neville to run the farm. The name Rijks comes from when Rijks Tulbagh was governor of the Cape. Not only was the town named in his honour, but also the Rijk's winery.

Terroir

Tulbagh is surrounded by the Winterhoek Mountains to the north and the Witsenberg Mountains to the east, with the Obiqua Mountains forming a barrier to the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The southern end of the valley opens up and allows refreshing winds to flow in from the southwest.

Although Tulbagh is characterised by hot and dry weather, the surrounding mountains have a significant influence on the local climate. During the day, cool air is trapped in the valley, helping to moderate the high temperatures. The higher altitudes are made up of shale and sandstone, creating well-drained soils that are not very fertile for vineyards.

The lack of water and nutrients encourages the vines to dig their roots deeper into the soil in search of sustenance, resulting in lower yields but more resilient plants. The main white wine variety grown here is Chenin Blanc, but there is also Pinotage, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon.