BELLINGHAM Founders Series Pod 2020

The revered treatment this Cape-style red blend receives from vineyard to cellar shows in its tasting. Made in a more opulent style, this wine brims with rich and layered dark fruit, black cherries and plums on the nose, with sweet spice provided by Shiraz and the use of American and French oak. The palate reveals fine but grippy tannins, offset by the attractive juicy fruit character which follows through from the nose. A bright line of acidity provides a long, mouth-filling finish.

Welcome to Bellingham

This is where the magic begins for this magnificent red blend. The Pinotage vineyard is located in Darling with its red, weathered decomposed-granite, perfect for complex Pinotage production. The Shiraz comes from Stellenbosch, from a unique block of low-clay decomposed granite that offers perfect vine balance. These vineyard blocks yield only around 5 tons per hectare and are meticulously maintained throughout the year to produce the best quality possible. The best bunches are selected in the vineyards, hand-picked and packed into small 2 0 kg boxes where it is delivered to the cellar as early as possible in the morning.

When the grapes arrive at the cellar, they undergo a second berry selection and sorting ensuring only the finest quality fruit continue on the journey. The Pinotage was punched down by hand during fermentation, while the Shiraz was gently pumped over for optimal colour and tannin extraction.

After malolatic fermentation in barrel, 50% of the wine was matured in new French oak and 50% in second fill barrels for 16 months. Only the 3 best barrels were selected to produce 850 bottles of this vintage.