Beyerskloof introduces their Grand Pinotage 2019, a wine that stands as the pinnacle of a three-decade journey where Pinotage has been consistently revered and celebrated. The wine is a testament to the resilience and unwavering belief in a grape variety that cannot be mistaken for anything else. The first impression of this Pinotage leaves an indelible mark. It is striking with a deliberately ripe profile ushered through a slower and steady ripening season, contributing to its poised and aromatic profile. With a captivating carmine-red intensity at first glance, a deeper ruby core discloses a tense youthfulness bound to flesh out as the wine ages. This wine is an ambassador for Pinotage's vibrant personality, presenting bright red and black currant aromas interwoven with the woodsy and floral tone of elderberry — a berry echoing the lively acidity and bracing tannins in the wine's youth. As the wine evolves in the glass, it unfurls layers of black fruit and salted caramel, introducing a delicious richness and hints of Italian hazelnut chocolate cigars. Tasting the wine, a plushness of bramble fruit persists, while a golden thread of minerality weaves through, balancing the boldness and shaping it with pronounced yet ripe tannins. Sourced from Stellenbosch bush vines, concentration and flavour are non-negotiable, delivered with meticulous sorting at harvest time to ensure only the finest grapes are vinified. A desirable balance is achieved as fruit sweetness and the time spent in French oak collaborate to impart distinctive palate weight and concentration with a cool cedar tone, adding to this familiar interplay of ripe fruit and oak. Pinotage remains a personal experience, and every Pinotage lover is bound to find something uniquely enticing that is intellectually stimulating and nostalgic about this wine. Enjoy how the wine culminates in a salty twist and an almost marmalade bitterness on the long finish. The keyword here is balance and understanding what nature provides, even in the face of circumstantial evidence of drought, and how consistency is a testament to the journey Beyerskloof has traversed.