Crystallum Mabalel Pinot Noir

Mabalel is named after a poem by the legendary South African polymath Eugene Marais, which tells the story of a local chieftain’s daughter of the same name who was ambushed while fetching water from the Limpopo river by the crocodile, Lalele. The vineyard is planted on ‘Kaaimansgat’ farm - meaning Crocodile’s lair - and a river flows past the vineyard. The site is 700m high and surrounded by dramatic mountains, with peaks that are are often snow-capped in winter.

Latest release (2020)

Perhaps the most pronounced and concentrated vintage of this wine, the nose shows blueberry, orange rind and black forest cake as well as the exotic spiciness of nutmeg and sumac. The palate is complex and alluring, with cherry pith, dates and cloves beside a fennel and caraway seed texture in the fresh tannins. A wine that is likely to age well beyond 2030.

Vinification

Fermented using only native yeasts and this year with all fruit destemmed. The total time in tank was 29 days with a 14 day post-fermentation maceration. The wine was then transferred to barrel (20% new) where it remained for 11 months before bottling.

Technical Analysis