# Crystallum Mabalel Pinot Noir (2025)

- **Producer:** Crystallum Wines
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Pinot Noir
- **Region:** Western Cape, South Africa
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 13.3%
- **Average price:** €53
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 14–16 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** raspberry, strawberry, cherry, orange, rose, violet, vanilla, cloves, cedar, forest floor, wet leaves, mushroom

## About this wine

Crystallum was founded in 2007 by brothers Andrew and Peter-Allan Finlayson, sons of Walker Bay wine pioneer Peter Finlayson. Based in the Hemel-en-Aarde region, they have established themselves at the forefront of South Africa's New Wave wine movement. The Mabalel Pinot Noir is a single-vineyard bottling sourced from a high-altitude site in the Elandskloof Valley, situated at 700 meters above sea level. The vineyard's name is inspired by a classic South African poem by Eugene Marais about a chieftain's daughter, mirroring the vineyard's location on the Kaaimansgat (Crocodile's Lair) farm. This extreme altitude creates a unique microclimate with dramatic diurnal temperature shifts, delaying ripening and imparting a distinctive character to the fruit.

## Interesting facts

- Named after a South African poem about a chieftain's daughter, reflecting its origin on the 'Crocodile's Lair' farm.
- Sourced from a single vineyard at 700 meters elevation, making it one of the highest Pinot Noir sites in South Africa.
- Winemaker Peter-Allan Finlayson uses 0% whole bunches because the extreme altitude prevents stems from fully ripening.

## Food pairing

This high-altitude Pinot Noir features vibrant acidity, moderate tannins, and bright red fruit flavors, making it exceptionally versatile. It cuts through the richness of fatty poultry like duck and salmon, while its earthy undertones beautifully complement forest-floor flavors in mushroom-based dishes.

## Wine making process

The winemaking process for the Mabalel Pinot Noir emphasizes low-intervention, Burgundian techniques. Grapes are hand-picked in small crates and 100% de-stemmed to avoid the harsh green tannins that can arise from unlignified stems at this high altitude. Fermentation occurs spontaneously in small stainless steel tanks using only native, wild yeasts. The wine undergoes a gentle extraction with a total of four weeks of skin contact. It is then aged for 11 months in French oak barrels (228-liter Burgundian barrels), of which 20% is new oak and 80% is older, neutral wood. The wine is bottled with minimal processing and is vegan-friendly.