Tasting notes and characteristics
Color: Translucent garnet.Aroma: Strawberry, cherry and clove. Other reviews mention hints of turned earth, potting soil, and dusty raspberry blossoms, or a touch medicinal with mentholated red cherry, licorice, and bramble tones. Some reviewers also detect light notes of earth, cherry, and herbs, or rose petals, raspberries, cherries, orange peel, ripe oranges, light cloves, aniseed, cardamom, leather, mushrooms, soy sauce, and clay earth, suggesting a wine that encourages lingering and enjoying the aroma.Palate: Strawberry, cherry, cranberry and vanilla spice. Also described as fresh, clean, and layered with complexity with a balanced structure and juicy acidity. Some find it initially soft on the palate with red fruit (cherry, currant) flavors, or "crunchy cranberry fruit, nicely structured, with the new oak (15%) lending a polished, slightly tinny finish". Other notes include delicious garrigue/fynbos, or bright red fruit (strawberry, raspberry, cherry) with subtle oak notes (cloves).Body: Light to medium body, balanced acidity and soft tannins. A firm yet silky-smooth tannin-structure supports the lovely bright fruit characteristics.
Winemaking notes
Grapes for this wine are sourced from cool-climate vineyards in the Western Cape, including Overberg, Elgin, and Durbanville. Each region contributes unique characteristics: Overberg provides strawberry fruit, Elgin adds structure and depth, and Durbanville offers perfume. The 2023 vintage experienced warmer days and cooler nights, leading to good fruit quality, aromatic intensity, and fresh acidity. The winemaking process involves hand-picking, fermentation in open-top and closed tanks with punch-downs and pump-overs, and about 20% whole-bunch fermentation. After fermentation, the wine is basket-pressed and aged in French oak, mostly neutral with around 10% new oak.
Reviews and awards
The wine has received positive scores, including 90 points from Wine Advocate for the 2021 vintage, 87 points from Vinous for the 2023 vintage, and an 86/100 from the Decanter World Wine Awards for the 2023 vintage. It is considered to offer excellent value for its price. It is described as a modern style of Pinot Noir with bright red fruit, spice, and supple tannins. The Reserve Pinot Noir has earned the South Africa’s Platter 5-star award multiple times.
Pairing suggestions
The Kara-Tara Pinot Noir pairs well with a variety of dishes. Suggested pairings include seared duck breast, beetroot carpaccio, spiced lentils, creamy washed rind cheese, and dishes with herbal or citrus notes. It also complements grilled salmon, tuna, and lighter beef or pork.
Overall
The Kara-Tara Pinot Noir 2023 is described as a well-balanced and approachable South African Pinot Noir that offers a classic expression of the varietal with bright red fruit, hints of spice, and a firm yet silky tannin structure. It's considered to be a good value wine for its price point and can be enjoyed now or aged for a few years.
100% Pinot Noir
For this Pinot Noir, I have combined grapes from three distinct cool-climate vineyards in the Western Cape. Western Cape is a designation not often used for fine wine but I feel that bringing diverse components together can increase complexity if done properly.
Grapes for the Pinot Noir are sourced from three differenct cool-climate vineyards in the Western Cape region. The Overberg region brings a very classic and elegant strawberry-fruit profile, while the vineyards in Elgin adds structure and depth. The grapes from Cape Town gives the final wine a very alluring perfume.
I grew up in a small town on the southeastern coast called George, which is about 3 hours outside of Cape Town. Karatara is the name of a river that runs through this area. In the language of the Khoisan, the words translate to “deep, dark shadows.” I chose this name for my wines because I wanted to honour my roots.
I grew up in a tight-knit community. Both of my parents were school teachers and kept a strict eye over us. I played rugby as a kid and like all South African boys, I dreamed of becoming a Springbok rugby player. In high school we used to travel to Stellenbosch and Paarl to play rugby matches, and that was my first memory of seeing vineyards.
My older brother studied winemaking and he would take me inside cellars and let me taste from barrels. I was hooked. I also went on to study viticulture and for this decision I have my brother to thank (or curse depending on the time of year and how hard the harvest is treating me!)
I know that making wine isn’t just about sipping and swirling in the cellar—it begins many years earlier, in the actual vineyards. My late father was a keen gardener; working with the soil and patiently watching things grow was important to him and brought him great joy. I think about this a lot when I am outdoors in the vineyards and imagining the wines that I am about to make.
-Rüdger van Wyk
Owner & Winemaker
