We’ve secured a small parcel of this super exciting single-vineyard Pinot from Shannon. Crafted by Pinot masters Gordon and Nadia Newton Johnson, they named it ‘RocknRolla’ as barrels from this single vineyard were always head and shoulders above the rest. It really is rock and roll.
From a vineyard established in 2000, the mature vines add concentrated fruit imbued with sumptuous dark cherry, Asian spice, and autumnal depth. There’s loads of complexity to this rich Pinot Noir – it’s one of the few to combine perfume, spice and dark fruit with a full-bodied, tannic structure. This continues to be a benchmark offering from Elgin. ‘A Cape Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru,’ says Tim Atkin of the 2019 release.
The RocknRolla is sourced from the oldest block on Shannon – a tiny 0.5-hectre vineyard planted by one of SA’s best grape growers, James Downs, to Dijon clone 113. The bunches are destemmed, the berries hand-sorted and then the ferment starts spontaneously with indigenous yeast, leading to a slow fermentation. The wine is raised in lightly toasted barrels – 50% new.
This superb Pinot is in high demand and only a miniscule quantity is released to the SA market.
