Crystallum WinesCuvée Cinema Pinot Noir 2018

Blind tasted by James DoidgeRoger JonesDirceu Vianna Junior MW(at Decanter Magazine's February 2020 issue New World Single-Vineyard Pinot Noir Panel Tasting, 30 Oct 2019)
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A family run winery, Crystallum was established in 2007 by brothers Andrew and Peter-Allan Finlayson. Although they began by making Sauvignon Blanc, the winery now exclusively produces Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The Cuvée Cinema Pinot Noir, named after scenes from a movie filmed on the site the year before vines were planted, is sourced from a high density vineyard on the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge. Fermented using only native yeasts with a ratio of 30:70 whole clusters to whole berries, the wine is aged for 11 months in 30% new oak before bottling.

Drinking Window 2020 - 2027

The 2018 Cuvée Cinema Pinot Noir has long been one of the best picks from Crystallum. This comes exclusively from Hemel-en-Aarde and is fermented with 50% whole clusters and matured in 25% new oak. It has a complex and nuanced bouquet of pure red berry fruit laced with crushed stone and oyster shell aromas. The medium-bodied palate presents supple tannins matched with crisp acidity, displaying more energy than the Mabalel and more tension on the persistent finish. An outstanding Pinot Noir.

-- Neal Martin