I was excited to try this wine. I had heard through the grapevine that Fort Ross was producing some of the strongest Pinotage in the land. I was also curious what exactly a Pinotage was. Turns out South Africa wanted to see what would happen if you cross a Pinot Noir and a cinsault (pronounced sin-so). And the result was a Pinotage.

Fort Ross was one of the first to plant Pinotage in California, going through the Foundation Plant Materials Service Program at UC Davis in order to aquire the appropriate bud wood. After many years, they first began producing in 2001. This this their 6th release of their Pinotage.

The color is fairly deep in this wine, with for only a bit in my glass, it still gets fairly dark. Not as far as a Petite Sirah, but getting towards that range. The nose is quite beautiful, with a little rose pedal coming out initially. Furthermore, you can find a bit of deep black berries and cherries here, as the fruit beacons to shine.

On the palate, you’ll find continued hints of the black berry with a little black tea in there. The fruit overall dominates, but there are multi-layers of tastes, including a bit of smoke and cocoa. The strength seems to be drawn back a bit as to not hit you too hard on the taste buds. I’d call it refined. The tannins are present, but hardly worth noting as they seem to enhance the wine versus hinder it.

I’m not sure if I’m influenced by knowing that it shares a family resemblance with the Pinot, but that black cherry really reminded me of a Pinot. If you get a chance, I’d recommend picking up both the Fort Ross Pinot Noir Symposium ($32) along with the Fort Ross Pinotage as they do share a bit of a similar characteristics. Kudos to Linda Schwartz, co-winemaker, for her impressive display of this often overlooked wine.

For more information about their other wines, check out my review of their 2007 Rosé.

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Haydn Adams is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems region. He also contributes to the Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog, writes for vinvillage.com, and can be found roaming the hills of Sonoma County looking for the next hidden gems. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com