The Caskaway

Catherine Marshall, Pinot Noir on Clay Soils, South Africa 2020. New World Pinot Noirs are rapidly becoming my go-to weekend after-work wines, for a naughty late supper with a plate of great cheese. Just please don’t tell my doctor. Each one that I have tried so far has been delightful thanks to some great help from the friendly staff at the island’s wine merchants. So far, I’ve tried Pinot Noir wines from California, South Africa, and a stellar choice from New Zealand. Today’s choice is another South African wine from one of my favourite South African producers Catherine Marshall.

Eglin Wine Region, South Africa

Known for its apple orchards Elgin is situated close to Cape Town. Orchards outnumber producing vineyards by almost a factor of ten. Nestled in a mountain basin and close to the coast, the climate is ideal for producing the best from the tricky Pinot Noir grapes. The climate is very similar to the Mediterranean with wet chilly winters and warm, dry summers. There are a variety of growing mediums in the area ranging from sandstone and shale to the clay vineyards used for this wine.

The cool climate means the Pinot Noir grapes take longer to ripen than those grown in Stellenbosch or Paarl. This allows the grape’s flavours and tannins to intensify and maintain crucial levels of acidity, producing subtle, balanced wines. Catherine Marshall first produced wine in the Western Cape in 1997. The company now produces a variety of wines from across Elgin.

Catherine Marshall, Pinot Noir on Clay Soils, South Africa 2020

In the summer as the vineyard’s clay soils dry out, it makes the vines work hard in search of water and nutrients and Catherine Marshall believes this helps to intensify the savoury nature of the Pinot grapes. The grapes are destemmed and then macerated for forty-eight hours before fermentation in open vats. After pressing the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in large oak casks before being aged in a mixture of old and new oak barrels for eleven months. It is then filtered, blended, and bottled. No animal products are used in the production so the wine is suitable for vegans.

The first thing that you notice with this Pinot Noir is the amazing juicy, fruit aromas which carry on into the drinking. Lots and lots of concentrated black cherry, strawberry and cranberry. A refreshing acidity is balanced with lots of soft, palatable tannins, hints of earthy minerality and a pretty decent finish. The wine will age over time and the woodland savoury elements will develop similar to good quality red Burgundy. A thoroughly nice multilayered Pinot Noir you can pair with Chinese roast duck, game and mushroom dishes and really good with cheese.

Grape variety                                 Chenin Blanc

Country of origin                           Pinot Noir

Region                                             Elgin

Vintage                                            2020

Alcohol                                            13.5%

Notes

Catherine Marshall has a absolutely fantastic website including videos about all of her wines, explore it here.