Wine of the Week 49: Cirrus Pinot Noir 2022

A high plateau deep in the Witzenberg mountains near Ceres, with intense solar rays but moderate summer temperatures and snowy winters, the Cirrus Pinot Noir truly is a wine that paints a picture of its landscape in the glass. Named after the wispy high-level clouds that look like brushstrokes in a summer sky, the Cirrus label is part of the Stellenbosch Collection: a portfolio that Jean Englebrecht of Rust en Vrede created to explore and showcase unique and exciting terroirs and personal passions, and produce individual, distinctively South African wines full of personality.

“I really think this wine has a fantastic future,” says winemaker Danielle le Roux. Of the inspiration behind the Cirrus Pinot Noir she says, “Rust en Vrede has a few restaurants and we did not yet have a pinot noir in our portfolio. And of course, pinot noir is an excellent food wine. Jean’s brother-in-law had acquired a farm called Rietfontein on the Ceres plateau (Koue Bokkeveld), farming with apples, pears and stone fruit. As the site has very high chill units, mild summers, enough water and a super high elevation (1 026 meters above sea level), Jean decided this could be an amazing spot for pinot noir. And the rest is history.”

There’s currently only one wine under the Cirrus label, but they have plans to expand it. “We planted chardonnay last year, so we wait in anticipation to add a high-altitude chardonnay to the range in the near future,” she says.

On the vine

The high altitude plays a dominant role in the fruit development with a greater shift in temperature between day and night. Cooler nights allow grapes to conserve acidity, leading to more elegant, age-worthy wines. Cool nights also help to lengthen the growing season, allowing grapes more time to develop on the vine. The density and intensity of solar rays at these higher elevations force the fruit to develop a thicker skin, leading to greater colour concentration and stronger tannins.

In the cellar

Now in its third vintage, the wine-making style has evolved and adapted over the years. “From a winemaking side we were caught off-guard with the huge effect of the high altitude, the great shift in day and night temperature and high UV levels,” says Danielle. “The extraction and colour (hue) on the wines are effortless and it needs very little work. So we have tuned down the punchdowns and pumpovers, and increased the whole cluster portion, to bring a lighter touch to the style.”

Approximately 70% of the fruit is fermented as whole berries, with the remaining 30% fermented in whole clusters. Maturation takes place in seasoned 500-litre French oak barrels for 14 months, adding structure, complexity and age-ability to the wine.

Cirrus Pinot Noir 2022

Soaring notes of bright raspberry and ripe red cherry aromas leap from the glass, followed by hints of fennel, mint, and a touch of earthy forest floor. On the palate, it’s a symphony of juicy, jammy red fruit, cranberry and raspberry, with silky subtle tannins and zesty acidity. Beautifully balanced and expressive, this is a wine that transports you to a high, sky-kissed landscape with every sip.
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