Pinotage was first developed in South Africa in 1925 by crossing the two vinifera varieties, Pinot Noir and Cinsault which was called Hermitage at the time. Our Pinotage consists of two Fort Ross proprietary clones, MM1 and MM3, developed at UC Davis from budwood personally imported by Fort Ross from one of the most select Pinotage vineyards in South Africa. The grapes for this Pinotage were handpicked during the cool hours of the night in small two-gallon picking trays. After hand sorting, the fruit was cold soaked for several days and fermented in a single 5 ton tank. During fermentation, the wine was pumped over and sparingly punched down, to carefully control the amount of extraction from the thicker skins in order to produce a well-balanced, age-worthy Pinotage. Shortly after pressing, the wine was barreled in 100% neutral French oak.

90 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
The 2014 Pinotage, Fort Ross Vineyard is terrific, and I suspect it is the finest Pinotage I've ever tasted from outside South Africa. Outstanding notes of scorched earth, black cherries, graphite, and some classic herbal characteristics all give way to a medium-bodied red that has a layered texture, terrific balance and a great finish. Hats off to winemaker Jeff Pisoni for making a truly outstanding Pinotage.