Fram Wines Pinotage 2016
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Wine
Enthusiast -
Wilfred
Wong
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
An intriguing blend of ripe red fruit, with fennel and dill-like aromas on the outer edge of the flavor profile. The palate is packed with a very fine and distinct tannin adding vibrancy to balance the concentration of the fruit.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Medium-intense aromas of forest floor, raspberry leaf and black and red cherry form the nose of this wine. The palate is medium in weight and boasts a texture like crushed satin, with polished but supportive tannins and crunchy red fruit flavors that carry through to the finish. It’s vibrant and focused, with bright acidity that lends a fresh verve to it all. Editors’ Choice.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2016 Fran Pinotage is bright and alive. TASTING NOTES: This wine excels with aromas and flavors of black fruits, berries, and licorice. Enjoy it with grilled short ribs. (Tasted: November 28, 2022, San Francisco, CA)
Other Vintages
2017-
Wilfred
Wong
Fram is the personal passion project of Thinus Krüger, founded with the promise to “always sail into unchartered waters, to boldly search for whatever grapes lie behind the next hill, over the next horizon.” After over a decade making wine for other people, Thinus took his extensive experience to explore the outer reaches of the Cape wine lands, the here be dragons area of the wine map. In the spirit of exploration and discovery, Thinus works closely with farmers in the remote region of Clanwilliam, an area where the heat is fierce, yields are low, but quality is pristine for those who know how to manage the elements. In search of other special corners across the Western Cape, the regions of Robertson and the Swartland are also represented in the Fram range. Thinus asserts a quiet confidence - he knows grapes, and he knows how to let them shine. Vintage after vintage, Thinus never fails to impress in the quality and balance of his wines.
South Africa’s signature grape, Pinotage is a distinctively earthy and rustic variety. In 1924 viticulturists crossed finicky Pinot Noir and productive, heat-tolerant Cinsault, and created a variety both darker and bolder than either of its parents! Today it is popular in South Africa both as a single varietal wine and in Cape blends. Somm Secret—The name “Pinotage” is a subtle portmanteau. The Pinot part is obvious, but the second half is a bit confusing. In the early 1900s, Cinsault was known in South Africa as “Hermitage”—hence Pinotage.
Literally meaning "the black land," Swartland takes its name from the endangered, indigenous "renosterbos" (translating to rhino bush), which used to be plentiful enough to turn the entire landscape a dark color certain during times of year. The district, attracting some of the most adventurous and least interventionist winemakers, excels in robust and full-bodied reds as well as quality fortified wines.