A far cry from the overripe, smoky styles that gave Pinotage a tough rep, this bottling shows just how elegant and nuanced the grape can be. Made from old vines and cool sites—including the structured soils of Swartland—it’s all about dried raspberry, dusty cherry, and a subtle saline edge. The oak is restrained, the tannins are polished, and there's a beautiful sense of clarity and lift. Winemaker Emul Ross calls it perfect with Cape Malay curry—he’s not wrong.

The Wine Advocate | RP 91
Published: Jun 05, 2025
Drink: 2024-2030

A Cape Coast wine, the Southern Right 2022 Pinotage is made with purchased grapes from the Swartland on loose granite soils. This site adds tannic structure. Made with old-vine fruit, the wine delivers dried raspberry, cherry and hints of dusty iron rust. The use of oak is downplayed, and the wine shines forth with pretty primary intensity backed by a pinch of saltiness. Winemaker Emul Ross suggests a pairing with one of those lovely Cape Malay chicken curries served in South Africa.

Southern Right is another sub-brand owned by Hamilton Russell Vineyards (along with Ashbourne) with Winemaker Emul Ross at the helm. The estate is named after the Southern Right whale (it was the "right" whale to catch thanks to its meat and oil). It is one of the six big endangered whales protected by conservation efforts. Nearby Walker Bay in Hermanus is a favorite spot for whale watching.

Southernright.co.za

Southern Right is re-defining Pinotage with this intense classically styled, clay-grown wine, packed with complex berry fruit, beautiful tannins and subtle wood spice. Full ripeness and the longer hang-time afforded by cooler sites, combined with the complex, more classic fruit aromas and structure resulting from clay-rich soil, make this wine a highly individual expression of South Africa’s unique grape variety.

Soil: Low-vigour, stony, clay-rich, shale-derived soil
Alcohol: 13.19 Acid: 5.20 g/l ph: 3.61 Residual sugar: 1.90 g/l
Barrel ageing: 9 months
Wooding: 56% 228 litre french oak barrels, 44% 400 litre french oak barrels Tight grain: 100%
1st fill: 12% 2nd fill: 8% 3rd fill: 23% 4th fill: 57%
Blonde Toast: 60% Medium Toast: 40%
French coopers: Various
Yield: 28.20 hl/ha 4.54 tons/ha Production: 2 900 cases of 12 bottles equivalent
Fruit Origin Hemel-en-Aarde Valley 13%, Overberg 61%, Swartland 26%
Vegan Friendly
Release date: March 2022

GROWING SEASON
This stellar vintage was later and cooler than usual. Based on our measure of temperature, the average of the maximum temperatures for the 4 hottest months (crucial to harvest) Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, 2021 came in at 24.3 Centigrade. This compares to 24.8 Centigrade for a long-term average of the equivalent period in Burgundy. In the last 25 years, only 2001, 2004 and 2008 have been cooler. Winter was wetter than usual with 140mm more rain than average, filling dams and building the water table beautifully. Chill units started accumulating later than usual and a cool Spring and later budding accounted for the later harvest. A warm January was a welcome help towards healthy ripening. Any disease pressure from rain showers during ripening was effectively controlled organically. Yields, as always for us, were low.