Ignis Pinot Noir, from the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, comes from a vineyard cluttered with round pebbles on the surface and underlying decomposed granite. It’s always the most aromatically beguiling, with tea leaf, fine red berry fruit, a hint of spice, and notes of fynbos following to an ethereal and delicate palate. ‘Incredibly long’, says Tim.
From the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, the Ridge Pinot Noir continues its staggering upward trajectory in quality. The fruit is sourced from the cool, elevated eastern slope, which has low-vigour, stony, clay-rich Bokkeveld shale soil. Shy and darker in colour, it shows violet perfume, dark cherry and brooding structure and is sure to last decades. There’s ‘plenty of grip, backbone and intensity’, notes Tim.
