Vintage conditions After a dry winter the summer leading to the 2016 harvest will be remembered as one of the driest in the Western Cape, it was also the earliest harvest experienced at Paul Cluver Wines. Fortunately the very cool night temperatures experienced in Elgin helped the grapes retain freshness. Harvest of Seven Flags Pinot Noir commenced on 17th February and was completed by 26th February. Vinification details The approach to winemaking for Seven Flags follows that of the Paul Cluver Pinot Noir initially. Extensive individual berry sorting was done by hand prior to destemming, no crushing of the grapes is allowed. After destemming the berries were transported in satellite tanks and the fermenting vats filled by gravity. This was followed by cold maceration at 12°- 14°C for 6 days. The fermentation in 3.5 ton wooden vats was allowed to start naturally before inoculating with selected Burgundian yeast after a third of the fermentation was completed. During the fermentation, the skin cap was punched through by hand no more than twice per day. After fermentation, the wine was racked to barrel for malolactic fermentation and remained on the fine lees for 11 months. To confirm the superiority of the vineyard sites, the ear-marked Seven Flags Pinot Noir barrels were tasted blind in conjunction with all the other Paul Cluver Pinot Noir barrels in the cellar. The best barrels of the site were then selected and blended to form the Seven Flags Pinot Noir. Total new wood component equates to 38%. Awards Tim Atkin MW: 95 pts IWC 2018: Silver IWSC 2018: Silver Green credentials A World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Conservation Champion and accredited Integrated Production of Wine (IPW) estate.
