Young Guns and New Wave Producers
Timed Online Auction, 17 - 27 November 2023
Young Gun and New Wave Producers
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About this Item
Mabalel is named after a poem by the legendary South African polymath Eugene Marais, which tells the story of a local chieftain's daughter of the same name who was ambushed while fetching water from the Limpopo river by the crocodile, Lalele. The vineyard is planted on 'Kaaimansgat' farm - meaning Crocodile's lair - and a river flows past the vineyard. The site is 700m high and surrounded by dramatic mountains, with peaks that are are often snow-capped in winter.
Provenance
Restaurant Mosaic
Critics Ratings
'The 2014 Mabalel wasn't ready to be tasted when I was in the Cape, so I tried this 2013 again, reviewed in last year's report. It confirms its status as one of the best three Pinots in the Cape, sourced from a 700 metre vineyard in the Overberg. Floral, focused and very minerally, it's complex and refined with a touch of reduction, succulent red fruits and great palate length. Drink: 2015-21' - Tim Atkin SA Special Report 2015, 94/100
'From a high-lying young inland (Overberg) vineyard, 2013 from all destemmed grapes. High-toned, bright red fruit, with floral aromas even hinting at herbaceousness. Lighter in texture than the others, a touch less ripely substantial, but with a pure loveliness.' - Platter's SA Wine Guide 2015, 4.5*
'Attired in eye-catching pink wax, the 2013 Mabalel Pinot Noir comes from a high-altitude (650m) vineyard where Rosa Kruger has been assisting Peter-Allan Finlayson. The Mabalel contains no whole-bunch unlike some of the other cuvées. It has a ripe red cherry and red plum-scented bouquet that is nicely defined, very natural and refined, unfurling gracefully with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannins, edgy and tense with superb precision on the Pommard-like finish. This neatly bridges Old World and New World Pinot Noir - an impressive debut release.' - Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, 93/100 (Oct 2014)
