2023 Crystallum Litigo Pinot Noir

Product Description

Crystallum is a small Hemel-en-Aarde winery, established in 2007 by brothers Peter-Allan and Andrew Finlayson. Their father Peter was a pioneer in the production of cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir at Bouchard Finlayson, so after university, it seemed only natural for the brothers to return home and source fruit from the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley to create their own label. Today, Crystallum is one of South Africa’s most highly regarded wineries and is at the forefront of the ‘New Wave’ movement. In 2021 Peter-Allan was named Tim Atkin MW’s ‘South African Winemaker of the Year’. He is always on the lookout for new vineyards and with each vintage he strives to make even better wines. The winemaking at Crystallum has evolved over the years, with all the wines now fermented with indigenous yeasts and the use of new oak reduced to preserve the purity of fruit.

The coastal ‘Litigo’ vineyard is found just outside the Hemel-en-Aarde ridge. The vines are trellised and planted on soils consisting of Bokkeveld shale and clay. The site is south facing, meaning that the vines are shaded for more time during the day and the site is cooler than the other Crystallum vineyards and produces wines which are lighter in style. The vineyard was joint owned by Crystallum and a lawyer friend of Peter-Allan’s, and the name ‘Litigo’, meaning ‘discussion’ in Latin, is a nod to this.