The Smuggler’s Boot Pinot Noir

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100% Pinot Noir made from the French clones PN777 and PN115. In 2014, the Smuggler’s Boot wines were first released. The name derives from the time of trade embargoes in South-Africa when growers and winemakers smuggled grapevine material into the country by hiding the cuttings in Wellington boots. The Smuggler’s Boot range celebrates that ingenuity. 

Handpicked grapes were first bunch sorted on a conveyor before the stems were removed and the destemmed berries sorted to remove jacks and substandard berries. After a 3-day maceration in open-topped fermenters, the uncrushed grapes began a spontaneous fermentation. The grapes remained on skins for 10-12 days, the free-run wine was racked to a combination of 50% used French oak barrels and 50% breathable plastic eggs with the remaining pomace basket-pressed. Malolactic then proceeded followed by a light sulphuring after which the wines were racked off the malolactic lees and returned to cleaned barrels for an 11-month maturation period. No fining was necessary and the wine was simply racked and lightly filtered prior to bottling. 

Pale crimson appearance, the nose bursts with Rainier cherry, strawberry, blossom, clean alpine air and a twist of spearmint. A pretty wine, the entry is light-bodied, the bright acidity allowing the wine buoyancy as it dances on the palate. Dry, cool with cherry flesh, strawberry compote, redcurrant jelly and a twist of liquorice supported by fine sandy tannins. There is some complexity with a smidgeon of spice from a ginger biscuit note that extends to a superb long finish. The wine has a clean, pristine quality; the fruit has an intense core yet is light on its feet.