2023 Crystallum Mabelel 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.

Fruit for the ‘Mabalel’ Pinot Noir is sourced exclusively from a unique, high-elevation vineyard in the Elandskloof. The site sits at 700 metres above sea level and rests in what resembles a volcanic crater. The vineyard is surrounded by some of the Cape’s highest mountain peaks that are regularly covered by snow during winter. The soil is clay with a lighter topsoil of sandstone and quartz, resulting in late-ripening fruit that develops an elegant and often savoury aroma profile. This is the first Pinot Noir to be produced in this valley.