Bonfire Hill Extreme Vineyards Red
Country: South Africa
Region: Western Cape
Grape Variety: 36% Shiraz, 32% Cinsault 32% Pinotage
Vegetarian: Yes Vegan: Yes
Organic: No Biodynamic: No
ABV: 13.5%
An intriguing, inviting blend of red summer fruits, spring fynbos flowers, Indian spice and just a hint of toasty oak on the nose. The palate is surprisingly decadent, rich, with almost creamy tannins. You’ll find raspberries, blackberries, ripe plum and a hint of pepper, spice and leather on the palate. It is balanced, with just the tiniest prod of refreshing, salty acid, like a playful poke of Neptune’s trident.tobacco. The palate is fresh and well rounded with a pleasingly long finish.
Producer Profile
Winemaker Trizanne Barnard has years of international winemaking experience. Her passion lies in the Western Cape, making wines sourced from the most extreme vineyards and blending them to perfection.
Trizanne seeks out grapes from wind-ravaged vineyards in Elim, the old expanses of the Overberg Highlands, from dryland bush vines in the warm Swartland and from the high slopes of the Piekernierskloof. They then all come together under Trizanne's watchful eye to create wines full of flavour, tannin and texture.
Viticulture
Vines are grown on some "extreme" vineyards": The Drift Estate in Overberg Highlands, where it is very cold in Winter and cool in Summer, vineyards are perched perilously on the slopes of Akkedisberg, pounded by wind. Slow growing and low yield. The Leeuwenkuil Family Vineyards, where it is very hot and arid.
Winemaking
Some varieties are vinified separately, others co-fermented. Harvested at 24.5oB. Fermentation in stainless steel tank, with a cold soak for 2 days, the fermentation lasted 4 to 5 days at 25°C. Malolactic fermentation and some aging in stainless steel tanks, the rest in oak. Cinsaut is unoaked and Pinotage and Shiraz was aged in 70% French and 30% American oak.