Beeslaar

Winemaker and owner Abrie Beeslaar is very well known for his Pinotage, having worked at the iconic Kanonkop Estate for over 20 years. After being offered the opportunity to work with Pinotage grapes from a unique parcel of land in the Simonsberg region just outside Stellenbosch, Abrie established Beeslaar Wines in 2011. These grapes from a 2.5ha vineyard at 200m, planted to older bush vines on shale soils. The destemmed fruit was fermented in concrete with regular punch downs before moving to 225L French barrels (50% new) for 20 months' rest. Wild blackberries, herbal dark plums, black earth, and espresso are woven throughout this fuller, muscular red, with noticeably wood, buoyed by a swell of juicy acidity, and cloaked with long, powdery tannins, finishing with bittersweet cocoa. The shale soils yields an alluring profile. Drinking now (ideally with grilled lamb) but certainly with time ahead.

Fynbos, rooibos tea and a touch of tobacco lead the bouquet of this earthy red. Blackberry sauce, plum and boysenberry follow suit to provide a fruity core and carry through to the medium-plus palate alongside bold, gripping tannins and a firm structure. Ample acidity helps to keep the balance in check, and while this is currently intense, it is so in balance, with all elements working together to form a cohesive whole. This will mature well, so enjoy now (with a good decant) and through 2031.