Pouring the Perfect Pinot Noir

Explore our wine of the month. Pinot Noir is typically known as the ‘Heartbreak Grape,’ but our Pinot Noir is anything but. This wine will pour itself right into your heart. Packed with layers of fruit and intricate flavor nuances, it makes you want to go back for more and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

While considered an extreme challenge to make a ‘proper’ Pinot Noir, our winemaker tends to be motivated rather than hindered by the finicky nature of the Pinot Noir grapes. Walker Bay is synonymous with outstanding Pinot Noir.

Nudged by the Bot River lagoon with vistas of the Atlantic Ocean, these vines enjoy cool daytime temperatures that drop even more at night - perfect conditions for Pinot Noir. Expect an intriguing wine where the fruit is balanced with an umami character that makes this wine bold in flavour but with the finesse that Pinot Noir is known for. Turkish delight and baking spice suit the soft, creamy tannin and lean acidity, with whiffs of violet that announce its cool-climate home.

Why do we call it the ‘heartbreak grape’

A wine so difficult to make, yet so delectable when done well.

It is true that Pinot Noir is a grape that has a long history and produces a wine with a long list of challenges. But when it is done well, you are left with one of the world's most outstanding, delightful wines.

Pinot Noir has thin skin, susceptibility to disease, genetic instability, fermentation challenges, and finicky terroir expressiveness. It is sensitive to nearly every aspect of the winemakers’ art.

And yet when all goes according to plan—or even better than planned—the end result is worth the time and frustration the winemakers face.

This complex and delicate grape produces a complex and delicate wine that can be enjoyed by anyone who appreciates the finer things in life.

Judged as one of the Top Five Pinot Noirs in South Africa

Convened by Top Five Trust in conjunction with the South African Pinot Noir Association, the Mosaic Top 5 Pinot Noir Wine Awards identify five wines to serve as a benchmark for the development of distinctive South African Pinot Noir red wines. One of the major objectives of the competition is to illustrate the distinctive quality of South African Pinot Noir to the consumer and the international wine community.

Pinot Noir is a demanding variety to cultivate and transform into wine, with a temperament that has earned the grape its ‘heartbreak grape’ moniker. Benguela Cove’s award-winning winemaker Johann Fourie rises to this challenge, producing outstanding South African Pinot Noir that champions the distinctive Walker Bay terroir.

“You can expect an intriguing wine where the fruit is balanced with an umami character that makes this wine bold in flavour but with the finesse that Pinot Noir is known for. Cherry and boiled sweets aromas suit the soft, creamy tannin and bright acidity with whiffs of violet that announce its cool climate home.” - Johann Fourie

Benguela Cove Estate Pinot Noir

Character

This wine is a true representation of its vintage, packed with layers of fruit and intricate flavour nuances that make you want to go back for more. The wine surprises with a medley of aromas that includes plum, mulberry, violet, and chocolate with a cool and earthy edge of fennel and dried Origanum.

Personality

Expect an intriguing wine where fruit is balanced with an umami character that makes this wine bold in flavour but with the finesse that Pinot Noir is known for. Turkish delight and baking spice suit the soft, creamy tannin and lean acidity with whiffs of violet that announce its cool climate home.

Best to enjoy

Elegant yet powerful, this wine invites both savoury and sweet dishes.  

Cellaring potential: Five years from vintage | Serving temperature: 12-14 °C

Springbok carpaccio with balsamic reduction | Aubergine lasagna | White chocolate truffles

Recipe to try at home

Bacon Wrapped Pork Fillet, with Cherries and Mushrooms

Dazzle your family with this spectacular dinner idea, perfect for winter.

Get the recipe