WTN: Diemerrsfontein Wellington Pinotage 2007

[Sue Courtney]

Diemerrsfontein Wellington Pinotage 2007
Deeply translucent purple red in colour, vibrant in its hue.
Sweet oak, toffee and mocha on nose - has a milky overtone too - like iced coffee. An intriguing aroma - unlike any red that comes to mind. And it doesn't remind me of Pinotage either!
Even more intriguing in palate. Is this is a sweet wine? The caramel and mochaccino (coffee/choc) flavours would have you think so, but then a bitter finish (as you get with coffee) kicks in. Tannins have upfront grip and dissolve away on finish, there's earth and leather and all manner of savoury things with fruit reminiscent of ripe purple fleshed plums and red guava jam. Lashings of smoky cedary oak too. A voluptuous full-bodied red, it finishes spicy and dry and the aftertaste lasts for ages.

A fascinating wine - you have to keep tasting it. It's even better the next day - when juicy red berry flavours push their way through.

This wine was a gift from Peter May when he came to visit. Peter - we liked it! No, we loved it! Thank you for the experience.

Alcohol is stated at 14% vol and the bottle has a screwcap closure. Interestingly, the back label says, "The original coffee / chocolate Pinotage now in its 7th great vintage. It befriends - It converts - it seduces"

People - you just have to try this! It's totally yum!

Cheers,
Sue

[Mark Kogos]

Sue

I completely agree. I love this stuff. Last year I ended up at the wine expo in Jo'burg and really focused in on the pinotages. On the evening this was one of my favorite examples and I have "smuggled" one bottle back into Aus. I keep looking at it wondering what is the right occassion to open such a prized example. I am amazed someone is bringing it into NZ, well done.

Mark

[Sue Courtney]

Mark,
After tasting the wine I wish someone was bringing it into NZ. It would change people's perceptions of Pinotage, for sure. But no.
I was the lucky recipient of a gift of this wine from this forum's famous Pinotage expert, Peter May. This month's Wine Focus was the perfect excuse to open it.
Cheers,
Sue

[Peter May]

Sue

I'm glad you enjoyed it.

It is certainly different and has become a cult wine with its own festival at winery with every release.

Word on the street (OK; Grape magazine) is that KWV lured away Diemersfontein's winemaker Bertus Fourie to get him to produce a similar wine for them. Bertus did join KWV and a year or so afterwards KWV came out with Cafe Culture...

Diemersfontein's 'coffee & chocolate' Pinotage certainly gets attention when I show it at tastings.

[Sue Courtney]

Peter,
Neil opened three South African reds for me and because he pulled them out of the box, I had not seen the label so it was a surprise when I tasted it. That coffee aroma and flavour was just so strong.
There was also a Pinotage, which was more like I expected from the region, and and a Cape Blend. I'll post the notes on these two in the next few days.
Cheers,
Sue

[Jenise]

I'm having trouble processing this description...so is it actually a dry table wine in the end? Or is it dessert?

[Mark Kogos]

In theory a dry table red but I think the best way to think about it is to imagine a chocolate coated coffee bean style amarone.

[Peter May]

I'm having trouble processing this description...so is it actually a dry table wine in the end? Or is it dessert?

It is definitely a dry table wine.

[Tim York]

I have bought a bottle of this same wine. It sounds as if it needs very rich food with a sweetish sauce or trimmings as a pairing.

I'll try to forget what Sue wrote and give my impressions when I have something appropriate for it to accompany.

[michael dietrich]

I looked this up on winesearcher and it only seems to be available in Europe. I did not see any listed for the US. It sure sounds interesting.

[Sue Courtney]

I'm having trouble processing this description...so is it actually a dry table wine in the end? Or is it dessert?

It is a dry wine but it is so voluptuous, it gives an impression of sweetness when you first taste it. That's why I wrote, "Is this a sweet wine?" There was the question mark there. But you soon realise it is actually dry.

Cheers,
Sue

[Jenise]

I can remember an Italian wine, Sue, that gave that same impression. It's made by Taurino and it's their top of the line dry red (after the Salice Salentino and the Notarpanaro, if that gives anyone else a clue), but it's as comfortable being served with chocolate cake as it is with steak. I can't remember the name now, but it starts with a 'P'. Something like 'Patrigiliano'. Never had anything else like it.