George Paul Canitz Pinot Noir

A rich and warming wine, best enjoyed with game meats or a robust mushroom risotto.

Tucked into the exquisite Knorhoek Valley north of Stellenbosch, Muratie Wine Estate, under the stewardship of Rijk Melck and his family, has been at the heart of a lot of passionate debate. This debate is centred largely around the desire to protect a century’s old wine experience that is a magnet for wine lovers around the world. The farm itself dates back to 1685 when it was granted by Governor Simon van der Stel who was Governor of the Cape of Good Hope at the time. This makes Muratie one of the oldest estates in South Africa and along with that age comes many characters and truly fascinating stories. The Melck family has revived this rich heritage in an updated yet classical evolution of the brand, naming its range after many of these colourful characters. For example, the MCC bubbly is known as Lady Alice. She is joined by Ansela van de Caab (blended red), George Paul Canitz (Pinot Noir), Ronnie Melck (Shiraz), Alberta Annemarie (Merlot), Laurens Campher (blended white), Isabella (Chardonnay) and Ben Prins (Port). It is not only the label that has changed. The wine itself has also undergone incredible changes in quality, under the creative hand of winemaker Hattingh De Villiers and his team. This has seen Muratie become a serious and respected player in the Bordeaux blend, Shiraz, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir stakes. Historically, Muratie has been known for being the first producer of Pinot Noir as well as fine ports. Along with the development of other varietals, Muratie has elevated itself into a new appreciation amongst truly discerning wine lovers.

The Pinot Noir vines were planted in 2002 at 300 m above sea level on northwest facing slopes. The Table Mountain sandstone soil is rich in its moisture-retaining potential, hence the dryland vineyards. The vines are a combination of 113, 115 and 777 clones, grafted onto Richter 99 and 110 rootstocks.

The wine spent 16 months maturing in French Oak before being bottled.

The grapes were hand-sorted, destalked and crushed before being pumped into classic open fermenters. The grapes were cold-soaked for a day and manual plunging and pump-overs were done at the required intervals. After fermentation, the skins were gently pressed. The wine was put into 500 L French Oak barrels. Here it underwent malolactic fermentation.