Bellingham The Bernard Series Bush Vine Pinotage 2021

80% Darling | 20% Stellenbosch The Bernard Series Pinotage vineyards are situated in South Africa’s cool climate growing regions, influenced by the nearby Atlantic Ocean sea-breezes. After years of experimentation, it was found that these sites have better phenolic or tannin ripeness due to the longer and slower ripening process associated with cool climates. The grapes from these vineyards are concentrated and retain their natural acidity, producing wines that have bright red fruit, with ripe and silky tannins whilst remaining elegant and fresh. All individual "Bernard" lots are harvested separately. The two regional sites were hand-picked in the early mornings, with the Darling vineyard block being harvested roughly two weeks later than the Stellenbosch lot. Fermentation took place in open-top concrete tanks and were treated with a combination of pumpovers and hand punch-downs every 3 hours. The wines are made with minimal intervention in the most natural and authentic way possible. These Pinotage fermentations were quick and pressing took place after a maximum of 5 days on the grape skins. Thereafter the wines were racked directly into barrel for malolactic fermentation. Once this process was complete, the wines were tasted, and racked together being “blended” into the final "Bernard blend". Once blended, the wine was returned to barrel for an additional 12 months of aging. The wines undertake a second racking during the total 14-month aging period, with an average of 40% New French oak barrels.