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Region: South AFrica - Western Cape - Swartland
Grapes: 100% Carignan
Alcohol: 12%
Notes on the Wine
Planted in 2001, bush vine (un-trellised), farmed organically. This is a block that is fairly vigorous for the dry soils of the Swartland and produces a good number of high-quality grapes with very juicy large berries. The vine canopy is trained to shade the bunches to maintain freshness and avoid sunburn. 2021 was a great vintage for this block, achieving great levels of acidity and higher alcohols, combined with a much lower pH than normal, the result of good rains and continued improvements in the vineyard.
Hand harvested and 100% whole bunch fermented. The fruit is crushed before going into tank for 12 days of fermentation and then pressed off into two old 3500L foudre and 500L barrels. The grapes were harvest slightly later compared to previous vintages. No yeast (or other) inoculation or additives apart from a small amount of SO2 shortly before bottling. 100% malolactic fermentation. A light clarifying filtration, no fining.
Notes on the Producer
Testalonga was started by husband and wife, Craig and Carla Hawkins, in 2008. After many years of traveling the world making wine (Matassa, Terroir Al Limit, Dirk Niepoort, and many others), they settled in the Swartland region of South Africa and made 2 barrels of a macerated Chenin (the first orange wine made in South Africa!)
In 2015, they purchased land on the Northern mountains of Swartland and they started planting vines in 2018. The farm is called Bandits Kloof (kloof means ‘ravine’ in Afrikaans) and is being planted with Mediterranean (the climate similar to the south of France/Sicily) grape varieties like Grenache, Grenache Blanc, Mourvèdre, Carignan, Frappato, Maccabeu, etc. Currently they have 4 hectares planted and will slowly grow to 9 hectares.
