The 2024 Pinot Noir opens with lifted aromatics of musk candy, pink rose petals, and blood orange. A savoury line weaves quietly beneath – hints of fynbos and a waft of white pepper grounding the perfume.

The palate is pure and precise: tart red cherry and more blood orange drive the fruit, shaped by a fine but firm tannic frame. Citrus and raspberry acidity lend freshness and length, while the subtle herbal thread adds a touch of mystery. There’s a superb tension between the two sides of Pinot Noir’s duplicitous nature.

The 2024 season in Elgin was marked by a cool, wet spring and sustained high wind speeds into early summer. This initially slowed growth, but ultimately allowed for low disease pressure and clean, focused fruit. Pinot Noir – the least-affected red cultivar during this season – showed excellent set and development.

As temperatures rose in January and early February, the smaller crop and warm conditions brought on an early and even ripening phase. This allowed for harvest under ideal conditions, resulting in fruit with bright natural acidity, fine tannins, and aromatic precision.

Moya Meaker’s Pinot Noir is grown on five distinct blocks across a single slope at Habibi Farm. The slope’s slight convexity gives rise to aspects ranging from south to southeast, with the 3.12 hectares of vines planted in 2010. Rooted in ancient Bokkeveld shale soils, rich in clay, these vines are trained for precision – allowing for airflow, sun moderation, and optimal ripening.

Clone 667 and 777 Pinot Noir vines benefit from Elgin’s hallmark misty mornings and cool summer days, ensuring slow ripening and the development of fine structure without sacrificing fruit purity.

Harvested by hand between 5 and 12 February 2024, the Pinot Noir fruit was destemmed and gravity-fed into tulip-shaped concrete vessels. Whole berries were preserved to allow for gentle fermentation. The wine spent 10 days on skins with delicate pump-overs twice daily to extract structure without overworking the fruit.

Malolactic fermentation occurred spontaneously in 300L Burgundian oak barrels (20% new). The wine matured on its lees for 10 months, without racking, to build texture and preserve freshness.

This wine is already offering extraordinary clarity and finesse. It will be at its most expressive within five years of vintage, but with careful cellaring will evolve gracefully for up to a decade.

TOTAL PRODUCTION: 9237 x 750ml and 204 x 1500ml
BOTTLING DATE: 06 December 2024
Origin: Elgin
Alc: 13.09%
pH: 3.34 
TA: 5.6 g/L
RS: 1.8 g/L