2023 Crystallum Peter Max 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 ‘Peter Max’ is made with fruit from five different vineyards. These include two in the Hemel-en-Aarde, one near Clay Shales, one outside Villiersdorp and a new high-elevation sit, inland. Peter-Allan uses about 50% whole bunch and indigenous yeast fermentation, followed by a reasonably long maceration to create a wine with lifted aromatics, lovely grainy tannins, as well as excellent balance and length.