Sneeuwkrans
Pinot Noir
Sneeuwkrans Pinot Noir 2022
Appealing aromas of cherry and raspberry fruit with a trace of bonfire and floral perfume. A wine that whispers seductively rather than shouts. The red fruits promised by the nose are delivered on the palate: maraschino cherry, ripe raspberry and rich fruitcake – all sprinkled with bold spice. A light peppery nuance can be found too, lending the mouthful a vibrance and appealing energy. The buoyant fruit is countered by a deeper, loamy, forest floor element that demonstrates the balance of opposites. The cohesion of light and dark, delicacy and elegance with sinewy power lends agility and wonderful texture and tension of opposites. The oak is so well-knit it’s almost unobtrusive, lending structure and texture. Overall, a complex, rewarding and deliciously persistent mouthful.
Sneeuwkrans Pinot Noir 2021
Delicate raspberry and red cherry aromas with earthy, forest floor and gentle spice notes. That same sprightly lightness is found in the mouth: gentle, juicy and delicately spicy on entry – with cherry, plum and raspberry vibrance. Bright, fresh and vigorous with some more intense earthy, forest floor and leafy nuances which lend dimension and depth. It is seamless, supple and pliable with an ethereality that is enticing – but there is backbone and power too. Effortlessly integrated, it is focussed but impressively long on the finish and delivers heaps of flavour and interest.
Sneeuwkrans Pinot Noir 2020
Typical cherry, plum, spice and forest floor aromas. Light smoke whiff too. A suave, supple and confident mouthful of red berry fruit which combines with smooth, silky texture. The wine impresses with its complexity but also understated power. There’s a lithe muscularity apparent. Integrated and harmonious with seamless oak and appealing dry spice notes throughout. Impressive length of flavour.
Sneeuwkrans Pinot Noir 2019
Sneeuwkrans Pinot noir presents with a perfumed floral nose, cherry blossom, ripe plum and raspberry aromatics. In typical Pinot Noir character, it displays approachability with complexity and subtle nuance, while remaining succulent and generous.There is a guile and mystery to this wine. Broad and laidback on entry, it offers bright red fruits but then also subtler, earthy, deep forest floor intensity. Silky, refined and pliable, with a powerful core and backbone from integrated oak. Poised and long rewarding
Accolades: 93 Points – Tim Atkin MW, 90 Points – Platter’s SA
Sneeuwkrans Pinot Noir 2018
Trademark vivid black cherry, blueberry and spice aromas with a hint of autumn leaf and graphite. Complex but light. That same deftness and complexity is apparent in the mouth: flavours of cocoa, turned earth or forest floor with spiced black berry fruit. Soft textured and velvety with gentle tannin squeeze and an undertone of power and depth. A nuanced, poised wine which is simultaneously ethereal and brooding. Good body, balance and length.
Sneeuwkrans Pinot Noir 2017
Bright berry fruit aromas – cherry, blueberry and In the mouth the wine is succulent, bright and fresh with those same berry notes apparent. There is a lively vibrance to the wines, with subtle spice and oak sheen. Throughout, the wine remains beautifully structured, poised and elegant. It’s deceptively light and approachable because it is powerful well integrated and unobtrusive oak frames the fruit beautifully.
Accolades: 4* – Platters.
Sneeuwkrans Pinot Noir 2016
Delicate hints of rose petal with red berries being most prominent. Light brush of vanilla and sandalwood. The palate offers up bright red cherries and strawberries. Deliciously alluring with deeper, spice nuance. Elegant, refined and poised with a solid core of fruit ably supported by integrated, seamless barrel maturation. Creamy oak richness which lingers long. A wine which changes in the glass but always holds your interest.
Accolades: 4* – Platters.
Sneeuwkrans Pinot Noir 2015
Shy notes of forest floor, autumn leaves and mushroom with red berry fruit whiffs and some spice. The palate is deceptively light-bodied and soft on entry — with reticent bright red berry flavours. Then the wine reveals its firm core of dark, nuanced brambles and blackcurrant with smoky oak flavours. Pronounced but gentle grip of tannin from oak which is well integrated. Ephemeral, elegant and lithe with a long, refined tail.
Sneeuwkrans Pinot Noir 2014
Expressive blueberry, raspberry and cherry fruit with distinctive spice whiffs. Lively and lightly perky in the mouth with bright red and blue berry fruits initially — and then a deeper, darker spice and black fruit nuance reveals itself. Alluring and serious with good density and concentration. Fine oak tannin matches the fruit and is almost unobtrusive. Rich, tensile and pliable with a lingering aftertaste.
Winemaking
This vineyard was picked in two stages, the bottom part separately from the top part, due to slight differences in ripening and different clones, each contributing to a range of flavours and variation in structure . Grapes were hand-picked into small lug-boxes in the early morning and transported to the cellar by refrigerated trucks. All of the fruit was destemmed and fermented in old wooden 3-ton tanks and small 1-ton opentop stainless steel tanks. During fermentation, these grapes were handled with great care. After fermentation, the wine was aged in a combination of 10% new and the remaining old 225-litre French oak barrels for 10 months before being bottle-aged for at least two years.
Vintage Notes
Another cold, wet winter supported healthy vine dormancy and ensured strong water reserves before the new season. The cool, wet weather carried into spring, leading to delayed but even bud break, flowering, and fruit set. These conditions increased the pressure on canopy work, as mildew risk stayed high through the early stages of growth. Cool early summer temperatures slowed ripening and set up a later harvest once again. When warmer weather arrived in early January, it stayed consistent well into March. This gave the fruit enough time to build flavour while keeping acidity firm and lively. An exceptional vintage that promises to produce exceptional, age-worthy wines.
Origin of Fruit
Elandskloof
Winemaking
This vineyard was picked in two stages, the bottom part separately from the top part, due to slight differences in ripening and different clones, each contributing to a range of flavours and variation in structure . Grapes were hand-picked into small lug-boxes in the early morning and transported to the cellar by refrigerated trucks. All of the fruit was destemmed and fermented in old wooden 3-ton tanks and small 1-ton opentop stainless steel tanks. During fermentation, these grapes were handled with great care. After fermentation, the wine was aged in old 225-litre French oak barrels for 10 months before being bottle-aged for two years.
Vintage Notes
“Late, slow and steady” would be the best way to describe the 2021 vintage. The preceding winter was cold and wet, resulting in good dormancy and healthy dam levels prior to the growing season. The cool weather continued into spring which in turn resulted in a delayed but relatively even bud break, flowering and fruit set. The moderate summer temperatures slowed the ripening period and resulted in harvest starting about two weeks later than normal. The usually hot month of February was uncharacteristically cool, allowing for the gradual ripening of fruit with good flavours and acidity. An exceptional vintage which promises to deliver outstanding wines.
Origin of Fruit
Elandskloof
Winemaking
This vineyard was picked in two stages, the bottom part separately from the top part, due to slight differences in ripening and different clones, each contributing to a range of flavours and variation in structure . Grapes were hand-picked into small lug-boxes in the early morning and transported to the cellar by refrigerated trucks. All of the fruit was de-stemmed and fermented in old wooden 3-ton tanks and small 1-ton open-top stainless steel tanks. During fermentation, these grapes were handled with great care. After fermentation, the wine was aged in old 225-litre French oak barrels for 10 months before being bottle-aged for two years.
Vintage Notes
The region was able to finally recover from the difficult drought period thanks to the increased rainfall. There were favourable climatic conditions during the growing season, which resulted in an early harvest due to early flowering and fruit set. Because of the favourable conditions for ripening and the presence of healthy canopies, the fruit was of high quality and had beautiful flavours.
Origin of Fruit
Elandskloof
Winemaking
This vineyard was picked in 2 stages, the bottom part of the vineyard separately from the top part, there being a slight difference in ripening as well as different clones, each contributing to a range of flavours and variation in structure. Grapes were hand-picked into small lug-boxes in the early morning and transported to the cellar in refrigerated trucks. All the fruit was de-stemmed and then fermented in old wooden 3 ton tanks and small 1 ton open top Stainless steel tanks.These grapes were worked very gently during fermentation. After fermentation the wine was aged in old 225L French oak barrels for 10 months and finally bottle aged for 2 years.
Vintage Notes
The 2019 vintage was later and cooler than usual. The previous vintages were very dry with 2019 by contrast having ample rain and cold weather. Strong winds were experienced in flowering season resulting in a smaller crop with looser bunches and smaller berries, and thus more flavor and color concentration in the resultant wine.The slower ripening resulted in good phenolic ripeness with well-balanced acidity levels.
Origin of Fruit
Elandskloof
Winemaking
Due to the slight variation in ripening and different clones the vineyard was harvested in two sections: the bottom part of the vineyard separately from the top section. Each section contributes different flavour and structure. Grapes were hand-picked into small lug-boxes in the early morning and transported to the cellar in refrigerated trucks. All the fruit was de-stemmed and then fermented in old wooden tanks and small 1ton open top Stainless steel tanks. These grapes were worked very gently during fermentation and after fermentation the wine was aged in old 225L French oak barrels for 10 months before being bottled and finally aged for 2 years.
Vintage Notes
The 2018 vintage was the last of a couple of very dry vintages, the harvest was slightly later than 2017, and the dry weather resulting in smaller berries, and thus more flavor and color concentration in the wine. We had good rains after the picking season and therefore ideal conditions and renewed optimism for 2019 vintage.
Origin of Fruit
Elandskloof
Winemaking
This vineyard was picked in 2 stages, the bottom part of the vineyard separate to the top part. The reason is a slight difference in ripening and different clones, each contributing to a range of flavours and structure. Grapes were hand-picked into small lug-boxes in the early morning and transported to the cellar in refrigerated trucks.
All the fruit was de-stemmed and then fermented in old wooden tanks and small 1ton open-top stainless steel tanks. These grapes were worked very gently during fermentation and after fermentation, the wine was aged in old 225L French oak barrels for 10 months before being bottled. Bottle aged for 2 years.
Origin of Fruit
Elandskloof – Overberg
Winemaking
This vineyard was picked in 2 stages, the bottom part of the vineyard separate to the top part. The reason is a slight difference in ripening and different clones, each contributing to a range of flavours and structure. Grapes were hand-picked into small lug-boxes in the early morning and transported to the cellar in refrigerated trucks.
All the fruit was de-stemmed and then fermented in old wooden tanks and small 1ton open-top stainless steel tanks. These grapes were worked very gently during fermentation and after fermentation, the wine was aged in old 225L French oak barrels for 10 months before being bottled. Bottle aged for 2 years.
Origin of Fruit
Elandskloof – Overberg
Winemaking
This vineyard was picked in 2 stages, the bottom part of the vineyard separate to the top part. The reason is a slight difference in ripening and different clones , each contributing to a range of flavours and structure . Grapes were hand-picked into small lug-boxes in the early morning and transported to the cellar in refrigerated trucks.
All the fruit was de-stemmed and then fermented in old wooden tanks and small lton open top stainless steel tanks. These grapes were worked very gently during fermentation and after fermentation the wine was aged in old 2251 French oak barrels for 10 months before being bottled. Bottle-aged for 2 years.
Origin of Fruit
Elandskloof – Overberg
Winemaking
This vineyard were picked in 2 stages, the bottom part of the vineyard separate to the top part. The reason is slight difference in ripening and different clones ,each contributing to a range of flavours and structure . Grapes were hand-picked into small lug-boxes in the early morning and transported to the cellar in refrigerated trucks.
All the fruit was de-stemmed and then fermented in old wooden tanks and small lton open top Stainless steel tanks. These grapes were worked very gently during fermentation and after fermentation the wine were aged in old 225L French oak barrels for 10 months before bottled. Bottle aged for 2 years.
Origin of Fruit
Elandskloof – Overberg
Altima
Sauvignon Blanc
Appealing aromas of granadilla and grapefruit zest with a tinge of peach blossom.
Serruria
Chardonnay
Subtle whiffs of orange blossom, lime zest, vanilla cream and a light biscuit note.
Riebeeksrivier
Caroline
Delicate orange blossom oral notes overlay more distinctive creamy citrus peel on the nose.
Van Lill
Chenin Blanc
Enticing stone fruit aromas - nectarine and peach with a tinge of honeyed almonds.
Riebeeksrivier
Chenin Blanc
Complex nose with apricot and nectarine brushed by a dusty gravel element and just a hint of floral perfume
Laing
Groendruif (Semillon)
Bright citrus aromas of lime and lemon underpin nectarine abundance.
Parel Vallei Farmstead
Merlot
Attractive cherry fruitcake and black berry aromas tinged with a faint hint of choc mint.
Riebeeksrivier
Syrah
Aromatics of Fynbos with herbaceous whiffs, extending to plum and dark fruit characteristics on the nose. Hints of lavender are evident too.
Riebeeksrivier
Southern Slopes
Appealing spicy dark fruit: black cherry with cedar and a hint of tobacco.
Riebeeksrivier
Western Slopes
Appealing aromas of spicy fruitcake, black cherry, blackcurrant and cedar.
Basson
Pinotage
Bold raspberry and youngberry aromas which mingle with a deeper leather nuance.
Sneeuwkrans
Pinot Noir
Delicate hints of rose petal with bright red berries and persistent palate.