Pinotage "Bushvine", Lievland Vineyards, Coastal Region, ZA, 2019

Lievland, directly translated, means “love land”, and there are few who come to this farm that aren’t charmed by its bucolic beauty. Twenty years ago, Lievland was considered one of South Africa’s top estates. José Conde and Tyrrel Myburgh, partners in MAN Family Wines, purchased the farm in late 2017 with the goal of resurrecting it to its former glory.Lievland is situated within a horseshoe-shaped valley on the northwestern slope of the Simonsberg mountain. The unique bowl- shape of the farm gives it a wide range of microclimates with south, west, and north-facing slopes and elevations from 590-1475 feet. The farm consists of mainly clay-rich decomposed granite soils. Its sheltered position makes for cooler-than-average conditions for Stellenbosch as well as protection against the harsher southern winds.
This wine shows off a modern, elegant style of Pinotage. The grapes for this wine were selected from two of our partners’ finest bushvine vineyards. One vineyard, located on the western slopes of Paarl mountain, is an early ripener and gives a fresher, brighter fruit style; the second vineyard sits on a bowl of shale and adds a richer, more structured component. The grapes were handled carefully and fermented at cool temperatures to preserve aromatics and pressed early to give a soft, plush mouthfeel.