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Paul Cluver Estate Wines

Paul Cluver has seen pruning some of its range since my last visit. “The range is now more focused,” Paul himself tells me. “For example there is now just one Riesling and there is no more Gewürztraminer. This has also made the winemaking more efficient and we can harvest at optimal ripeness.” Winemaker Andries Burger comments: “The Pinot Noir has really improved in the last five years plus the new plantings are now gaining some age. The winery was designed for Bordeaux varieties so we introduced new wooden fermenters for Pinot Noir. I’ve found one site that benefits from whole bunch fermentation but it does not work for all sites.” I ask Andries for his view on the recent vintages. “The 2015 was a fantastic vintage: warm and early. The 2016 was very early but the wines are more fruit forward. Then 2017 has a little bit of both, back to the elegant side but with slightly more opulence than 2015. In 2017 we had large diurnal differences which was great for the fruit.” Elgin is an exciting region, especially with regard to its whites, though the threat here comes from apples orchards. Apples are a huge business in Elgin and financially more rewarding than nurturing vines. But when you see the quality of Cluver’s fantastic “Seven Flags Chardonnay”, so consistent year after year, it is easy to see that the region would be sacrificing some of the Cape’s best terroir if orchards continue usurping vine.

From Some Great Reward: South Africa (Aug 2018) by Neal Martin

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2017 Pinot Noir Village

Color: Red

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