Overview
Our maiden vintage of Pinot Noir dates back to 2000 and we have been making wine from this Elgin vineyard, called Dunmanway, since 2003. We have with our friend James Downes, created a unique relationship of collaboration and discovery between grower and winemaker. Our experience has led us to realize the variety of expression that Pinot noir achieves on the different sites of his 15 Ha vineyard,
perhaps even more so than clonal influences of the vine. Each vineyard parcel
receives its own regime of treatment in the winery, which has been moulded over the years, from the day that it is picked. It is our goal to express the very best from each vineyard, and with this mindset that we progress with each vintage to elaborate on every parcel and combine them in to the best wine possible.
Location & Climate
Dunmanway is situated on the North Eastern edge of the Elgin appellation. Elgin is situated on a plateau between Somerset West and Botriver and is cocooned by mountain ranges, giving the valley a kind of a bowl shape. It has lesser influence from the ocean and slightly more extreme minimum and maximum temperatures than the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, giving it a semi-continental type of climate. It’s cool climate can be attributed to its altitude (300 to 800m) with an average mean temperature of 19.5°C. It also has an abundant rainfall of 1 000mm per year