Scions of Sinai Nomadis 2019 750ml
A fresh, light red made mostly from old-vine Cinsaut (95%), with a small kick of Pinotage (5%). Grown just 3km from the ocean on sandy, silica-rich soils, this wine is all about purity and vibrancy. With no additives (just a tiny bit of sulphur), it’s naturally vinified, unfiltered, and unfined. Expect a delicate, elegant style with perfumed aromatics, grainy tannins, and a long, savoury finish. The Cinsaut brings fragrance and finesse, while the early-harvested Pinotage adds lift and structure. Only 2823 bottles made.
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STYLE:
Celebrating the essence of old vine Cinsaut, a thin skinned variety, on sand soils close to the ocean. Light, elegant and delicate red with complexity and grainy tannins cementing a long follow. Silica rich topsoils highlighting a perfumy nose with the dryfarmed lower yielding old bushvines? roots creating concentration and tasty flavors. Touch of earlier harvested Pinotage complimenting the Cinsaut by adding length on the follow and cements another dimension to this light red.
BOTT. MADE: 2823 (750 ml)
BACKGROUND:
Cinsaut noir, with only a touch Pinotage. The aim is to curate the uniqueness of these two vineyards sharing the same soil type and maritime climate fit to these cultivarsfor a lighter style by nature of the vineyard?s conditions. Aiming at a pure expression of the cultivars by means of natural vinification methods (no additives or alterations to the juice or wine, except trace amounts of sulphites. No filtration and no fining). Just Cinsaut and Pinotage from oxididative soils aka sandy with high silica content. With the harvest decided solely on the vibrant flavour and acidity to be in place as supposed to sugar ripeness, and then have that complimented with weightless complexity all the way through the vinification to the glass.
VINEYARDS AND SOILS:
Rooted in a light textured sandy soil from decomposed granite and silica fragments. Giving the soil and roots more breathability and secures high fragrance and flavour development earlier on in the ripening. Also located just off the shoreline of the South Atlantic, False bay (3km) making the day temperatures cooler than the deeper inland Stellenbosch. Always handharvested in the cooler early morning hours.
WINEMAKING:
Gentle hand in the cellar and no pig?age. 60% of the Cinsaut underwent a fermentation with wholebunches intact (undestemmed), with the other portions wholeclusters stomped by clean barefeet. Manually basket pressed after a long slow natural fermentation and placed into old French oak barrels. Malo in barrel and aged on its lees for 6 months before blending and bottling (unfiltered and unfined). No additives or manipulations to the juice or wine, just pure wine with small amounts of SO2 used as aid before oxygen vulnerable hand bottling. The Pinotage portion, 100% was semi-carbonic wholebunch fermentation that lasted through a long and steady natural fermentation. Basket Pressed into old French Oak barrels where it underwent malo and aged on its lees for 6 months as well.
Technical Specs
Alcohol: 11.5% ABV
Closure: Not confirmed
Harvest: 2019
Oak: 6 months in old French oak barrels, aged on lees
Varietals: 95% Cinsaut, 5% Pinotage
Farming: Uncertified organic practices; dry-farmed old bush vines
Vineyard Area: Lower Helderberg, Stellenbosch, South Africa; sandy, silica-rich soils derived from decomposed granite, approximately 3 km from False Bay
Harvest: Hand-harvested in the cool early morning; exact harvest dates not specified
Vinification: Made using low-intervention winemaking. Approximately 60% of the Cinsaut underwent whole-bunch fermentation, while the remaining fruit was gently crushed by foot. The Pinotage was fermented using a semi-carbonic whole-bunch method. Both varieties underwent slow, spontaneous fermentation, were basket-pressed and aged separately on their lees in old French oak barrels for 6 months before blending. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, with only small amounts of sulphur added.
Winemaker: Bernhard Bredell
Region: Stellenbosch WO, Coastal Region, South Africa
Serving Temperature: 14–16°C
Decanting: Not required; serve slightly chilled
Food Pairing: Charcuterie, roast chicken, grilled pork, duck, mushroom dishes, light barbecue and semi-hard cheeses.