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La Brune The Valley Pinot Noir 2024
R230.00
This Pinot Noir is a standout vintage that captures the essence of Elgin with its depth, complexity, and balance. The grapes underwent a 10-day cold soak before fermentation in small, 1-ton fermenters, where extraction was carefully managed with twice-daily punchdowns — a hands-on process that involved Nico climbing into the fermenter for precision and control. A touch of 10% whole bunches added an extra layer of complexity to the wine.
The fermentation was spontaneous, allowing the natural yeasts to work their magic and bring out the purest expression of the fruit. After fermentation, the wine spent 8 months in a mix of 228, 300, and 500 litre barrels, with just 10% new oak, which enhances the wine’s texture without overwhelming its delicate character.
The result is a Pinot Noir that embodies the best of Elgin’s cool-climate terroir: vivid tart cherry notes, savory undertones, and a subtle earthy complexity, all balanced by a chalky minerality that lingers on the palate.
There’s a wonderful structure and power to the wine, a hallmark of the region’s ability to produce wines with both elegance and depth. This vintage is undeniably one of the top expressions of La Brune Pinot Noir to date, offering both finesse and a touch of strength from the land.
Description
Nico Grobler is a highly-skilled winemaker, perhaps best known for his work at the award-winning Eikendal estate. Alongside his wife Christelle, he has established La Brune in the Elgin Valley, focusing on cool-climate wines with a distinct Burgundian philosophy. La Brune is the only winery on Vine Street to be entirely based in Elgin, a cooler region on South Africa’s Cape South Coast, renowned for its apple orchards and ideal conditions for growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Nico and Christelle’s approach to winemaking is marked by a commitment to terroir and a meticulous attention to detail. Their philosophy is rooted in a deep connection to Burgundy, where Nico has spent considerable time working harvests at Domaine Bruno Lorenzon in Mercurey. They believe that the Elgin Valley offers South Africa’s closest approximation to Burgundy’s climate, and they focus on select vineyard sites, careful clonal selection, and small-batch winemaking. This results in wines that emphasize freshness, balance, and elegance, with minimal intervention in the cellar — using native yeasts, whole cluster fermentation for some Pinot Noir, and aging in used French oak.
Nico’s deep respect for the land and his dedication to quality winemaking have resulted in wines of understated elegance and seriousness — wines that, much like their creators, have a quiet but undeniable presence.
Additional Information
| Producer | La Brune |
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