Cuvée Rika Pinot Noir

RedPinot NoirOrganicBiodynamic

Red CherryWarm SpicesFynbosFloral Complexity

91Tim Atkin'2191Tim Atkin'23

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Details

Variety

Pinot Noir

Style

Red

Region

Stellenbosch

Appellation

Stellenbosch

Producer

Jasper Raats

Country

South Africa

Trade Materials

Tasting Note PDF Shelf Talker PDF Bottle Shot

The Inspiration

Cuvée Rika is Jasper Raats's single-vineyard Pinot Noir from the Elgin Valley - historically apple country, more recently one of the South African Pinot Noir addresses that needs no introduction. The valley's stable, naturally cooler climate is what gets this variety into the glass with the kind of poise it asks for. Minimum intervention starts in the vineyard: a single block, meticulously hand-tended, farmed for a true reading of the cooler Elgin terroir rather than for yield. In the cellar, the grapes are fermented naturally in small open-top fermenters - no added enzymes, no preservatives, no stabilizers - and matured for fourteen to fifteen months in a measured 10% new / 90% seasoned French oak rotation that lets the fruit lead. Although it drinks well now, it will reward careful cellaring. Because of the natural way the wine is made, it may develop a harmless sediment over time.

About Jasper Raats

Poetic wines with old world elegance

Jasper Raats is the cellar master of Longridge Wine Estate, but his own label is where his most personal winemaking vision comes to life. The Jasper Raats Single Vineyard Collection is built entirely on the principle that great wine begins with a specific sense of place. Every wine in the range originates from a carefully selected single vineyard. Jasper is unafraid to push traditional boundaries. His winemaking process is distinctive in character, with grapes that are terroir driven and epitomize the microclimate of the individual vineyard from where they originate. He selects small pockets of exceptional vineyards across the famed Helderberg (the coolest sub-region of Stellenbosch), then applies techniques and produces styles that are sometimes atypical to the cultivar, creating poetic wines with old-world elegance. His personality is unmistakably present in every bottle. Whether working with Chardonnay fermented in concrete and clay, a single-vineyard Syrah from Driefontein, or the boundary-pushing Skebenga blend, Jasper crafts wines that make a statement and leave a lasting memory on the drinker. The collection represents the creative freedom of a winemaker at the peak of his craft.

OrganicBiodynamicVegan

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