Kanonkop Estate Pinotage 2020

Cellar for up to 15 years. Decant for an hour or more before serving.

The Kanonkop Estate is the home of unabashedly bold South African wine. It’s a fourth-generation family business located in Stellenbosch, now under the fruitful leadership of Paul and Johann Krige. The two brothers have garnered multiple awards over the years, including the 2022 Red Wine Producer of the Year in the IWSC.

When it comes to South African wine, it doesn’t get much more authentic than Pinotage from Stellenbosch. The soils on the hilltop that Kanonkop Estate occupies are prehistoric, laden with clay and ancient granite. Generations of toil have shaped the land into one of the country’s finest grape-growing regions.

The Estate Pinotage is a vivid purple-red, wafting with scents of ripe dark berries, smoke, toasted nuts, spice and liquorice. The fruits were picked from vines aged between 32 and 67 years, granting this cuvée an inherent maturity. The palate is layered with notes of blackberry, plum, fig, cocoa and oak, gained from 18 months of ageing before release. Thirst-quenching acidity meets a silky tannic structure, resulting in a perfectly balanced wine with an exceptionally long finish. This wine’s big character qualifies it for pairing with a wide variety of dishes, from spicy, aromatic curries, to savoury gamey meats.