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90POINTS
16½/20
Natte Valleij Stellenbosch Cinsault 2018
Stellenbosch, Coastal Region, South AfricaYoung winemaker Alex Milner suddenly became very cinsault-centric when a professor told him not to bother reading the cinsault chapter in his textbook because it would be worthless to him. Fast forward from that 2011 conversation to today, and The Natte Valleij Cinsault Collective. Alex set out to find forgotten patches of older Cinsault across the Western Cape, expressing their individualities through low-interference winemaking. This is from old bush vines planted in 1974 in Helderberg Mountain’s sea-facing shadows and decomposed granite soils. This was destemmed into concrete egg, evidenced through its long textural whispers running the length of this slender red. Pouring a lighter, dusky hue, this is lifted with perfumed wild plum, red currant, sour cherry, green edged rhubarb, and seasoned with mustard seed. Tannins are slight, and the finish disappears seamlessly with a whiff of sarsaparilla. Take now with a chill.Tasted: 28 December 2020Tasted by: Treve RingPrices:| BC | $49.00 | 750ml | private wine shops |
Grape: CinsaultCSPC: 218429UPC: 626990391715
