Vrede Pinot Noir - 2021
Storm
- Region
- South Africa » Western Cape » Walker Bay » WO Hemel-en-Aarde Valley
- Type
- red still, dry
- Producer
- Storm
- Vintage
- 2021
- Grapes
- Pinot Noir
- Alcohol
- 13
- Sugar
- 2.8
- Volume
- 750 mL
- Cellar
- not available
This wine is made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes, grown using sustainable agriculture on an east-facing sloping parcel of land with poor, stony soil. The soil contains clay and schist. The grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed, and cold-macerated for 10 days in open vats. They are then fermented using indigenous yeasts, pressed in a traditional wooden vertical press, and matured for 9-11 months in French oak barrels, with around 25% new oak. The wine is neither filtered nor fined, and sulfites are used judiciously.
Ratings
I recall this wine as rather conventional, so perhaps my memory is faltering, there's a bottle variation, or this particular release leans more towards the style of some natural Spätburgunder from Baden. Interestingly, I found myself enjoying it much more on the second day after opening the bottle (forgive me father for I have failed to consume this bottle in a single sit). Initially a bit too crazy, it mellowed into something pleasant and complex. The wine offers aromas of dogwood berries, blueberries, sour cherry, and a hint of amaro mixed with syrup, complemented by a touch of spices, earthiness, and VA. On the palate, it's fresh and juicy with a strong bitter finish and umami. The tannins are initially dry and not well integrated, though they become more silky with time. It's medium-bodied with a long aftertaste. Overall, it's a bit of a puzzling wine—well-made and delicious, yet with some challenging elements.
Storm
Hannes Storm is a winemaker from South Africa dedicated to expressing terroirs of WO Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. After 12 vintages of working with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, he discovered two tiny parcels of land with exceptional terroirs and planted them with Pinot Noir in 2008. His first vintage saw the light in 2012, and after 18 months in bottle, the wines were released in August 2014.
His approach - handcraft, small production, careful viticulture, minimal intervention in the cellar.
Now he works with 3 plots:
- Vrede Pinot Noir and Chardonnay - low-vigor, stony, clay-rich Bokkeveld (Buck Veld) shale soil in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley.
- Ignis Pinot Noir - decomposed granite soil in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley.
- Ridge Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, also from low-vigour, stony, clay-rich Bokkeveld shale soil in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge.
WO Hemel-en-Aarde Valley is divided into Valley, Upper Valley and Ridge. And it means that Hennes grows Pinot Noir in all 3 appellations of Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. And in fact, as of [2021-09-14 Tue], he is the only winemaker with this sort of achievement.
2019 was a culmination of three years of bone-dry soils. Although vines are drought-tolerant, this year, the stress reached a crescendo. Vines' only purpose is to nurture their offspring - grapes and seeds. And when the vines are stressed, they focus so much energy on so few grapes. Consequently, 2019 is very small in production but very concentrated and potent. Vrede produced only 275 cases, Ignis - 290 cases, and Ridge - 340 (all about Pinot Noir).
Interestingly, before Hennes Storm started own project, he worked as a winemaker in Hamilton Russell Vineyards, another famous winemaker from South Africa.