Prescient Pinot Noir Report 2021: Top 10 convened by Winemag.co.za
Introduction
This year’s Pinot Noir Report convened by Winemag.co.za and sponsored by multinational financial services company Prescient is now out. There were 28 entries from 20 producers and these were tasted blind (labels out of sight) by a three-person panel, scoring done according to the 100-point quality scale.
Top 10
The 10 best wines overall are as follows:
94
Bosman Upper Hemel en Aarde 2020
Price: R215
Wine of Origin: Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley
Abv: 13.36%
93
De Grendel Op Die Berg 2019
Price: R245
Wine of Origin: Ceres Plateau
Abv: 14.2%
93
Iona Kroon 2018
Price: R525
Wine of Origin: Elgin
Abv: 13.63%
92
David Finlayson Camino Africana 2019
Price: R265
Wine of Origin: Stellenbosch
Abv: 13.9%
92
Jayne’s 2019
Price: R450
Wine of Origin: Bot River
Abv: 11.8%
92
La Vierge Apogée 2016
Price: R575
Wine of Origin: Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge
Abv: 13.85%
92
Paul Cluver Village 2019
Price: R120
Wine of Origin: Elgin
Abv: 13.18%
92
Catherine Marshall Pinot Noir on Sandstone Soils 2019
Price: R250
Wine of Origin: Elgin
Abv: 13.45%
91
Catherine Marshall Pinot Noir on Clay Soils 2020
Price: R270
Wine of Origin: Cape South Coast
Abv: 13.87%
91
Shannon Rockview Ridge 2019
Price: Elgin
Wine of Origin: Elgin
Abv: 14.5%
Buy all Top 10 wines at Dry Dock Liquor online!
About the category
Though a notoriously difficult grape to work with on account of how fragile it is, Pinot Noir is capable of making red wines of great refinement and elegance. It is at its most glorious in Burgundy, France but there are now impressive examples from Oregon in the USA, New Zealand’s South Island and increasingly South Africa. At the end of 2020, it was the 12th most-planted variety locally making up 1.3% of the total area under vineyard.
What characterises Pinot Noir in the most basic terms is a certain sweet fruitiness and lower levels of pigments and tannin relative to the likes of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. It is difficult to judge on account of how ephemeral it is in the glass but this is precisely the charm for many.
What does a top Pinot Noir go for?
The average price of the 18 wines to rate 90-plus is R299 a bottle and of the Top 10 is R326.
In-depth analysis
To read the report in full, including key findings, tasting notes for the top wines, buyers guide and scores on the 100-point quality scale for all wines entered, download the following: Prescient Pinot Noir Report 2021