A slightly more savoury and distinctly Burgundian expression featuring enhanced earthiness from cloves and tree bark. The red fruits are there in abundance, most notably wild strawberries and rhubarb, while there is a red apple skin quality to the tannins. The finish is all crushed mulberries and salted cherries, adding a moreish finish that makes the wine dangerously drinkable in spite of its ageing potential.

About the Winery

More often than not, the passion for wines will bring you back into the wine industry, regardless of how distant you are from the same. This is what happened with the Finlayson brothers in South Africa as well. Though they belonged to the third generation of the famous Finlayson winemakers in this area, they weren’t involved in the family’s winemaking business forever, like most other kids. While Andrew went on to study architecture, Peter-Allan pursued his studies in philosophy and economics at the Stellenbosch University. Though they studied completely different subjects, their love for winemaking united them.

They started the company, Cyrstallum Wines, in the year 2007 and produced over 4000 bottles of Sauvignon Blanc the same year. That they were the sons of the man who was known for the making of the Pinot Noir in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, only added to their reputation. Located in the Walker Bay area of South Africa, Crystallum Wines is a very small, family-owned winery that has been making a good name for itself in the list of South Africa’s best wines.

Crystallum introduced Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in its first vintage that was released in 2008, just one year after inception. The main objective of the brothers is to produce high-quality wines using a perfect blend of traditional and modern styles so that they reflect the true flavour and characteristics of the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the only two varietals that the group works on currently. The grapes are sourced from multi-vineyard blends and single vineyards.

Small, stainless steel tanks and French oak barrels are used for fermenting the Crystalum Pinot Noir, which is sourced from one Burgundian cooper. The ageing for these grapes varies between 11 and 16 months, before they are sent for bottling. The Chardonnay varietals undergo barrel fermentation and are aged for 11 months. For both the varietals, only natural yeast is used for fermentation.

http://www.crystallumwines.com

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