BLANKbottle Winery’s Pieter Walser has never done a single annual release for all of his wines. That would be quite the campaign to behold because, as you may know, Pieter produces over 40 different wines. He has, however, recently bottled and labelled some new wines and today we highlight the new vintage of the ever-popular Retirement @ 65. We have our allocation from Pieter so share an offer with you here today.
Dear Reader,
Pieter Walser produces limited volume wine from numerous vineyards from across the Western Cape. Some of the vineyards he works with on a lease basis, while others he might simply stumble across and acquire grapes on the spot from a farmer on nothing more than a handshake. While some wines end up being one-offs, others remain annual releases until such time circumstances change. Following on from the superb 2020 vintage of Retirement @ 65 (94 pts. Tim Atkin MW) and having tasted the newly released 2021, all we can say is: get what you can.
Retirement @ 65 vintage 2021
R 310 per bottle
Planted in 1951, this vineyard is situated on a mountain’s edge within a valley in Darling. There are two vineyard blocks and being so close to the mountains at altitude, once the vines bear fruit the birds come swooping in. When Pieter came along in 2014, he provided nets and struck a deal for the crop with the farmer. All was set for the first proper harvest of grapes from this vineyard since 1951. Alas, some time in middle of 2014, the farmer’s sheep had broken through the existing fence and chomped all the new green shoots. Game over for any prospects of a 2015 harvest.
Pieter and the farmer looked ahead and in 2015 the fences were raised, and nets were again rolled out in November that year. Fast-forward to February 2016 and for the first time in 65 years, the vineyard produced a full crop.
So it came to pass, that after 65 years, this Darling vineyard finally got to retire from an annual air raid by the local birds and a one-off incursion from a flock of sheep.
BLANKbottle Winery | Retirement @ 65 | 2021 | W.O. Darling | 50% Syrah, 50% Cinsault
Other new releases
There will be more new releases to arrive once Pieter and his team have finished labelling, but in the meantime, along with the 2021 Retirement @ 65, we also received the 2021 bottlings of arguably one of South Africa’s top Cinsaults, the My Koffer from Breedekloof, and the sumptuous Stellenbosch white blend in The Empire Strikes Back.
You can order all of these wines via our website or you can get in touch with your Account Manager directly.
BLANKbottle Winery | My Koffer | 2021 | W.O. Breedekloof | 100% Cinsault
BLANKbottle Winery | The Empire Strikes Back | 2021 | W.O. Stellenbosch | white blend
