La Vierge Apogée Pinot Noir 2022

La Vierge Private Cellar is located at the gateway to the higher-lying appellations of Upper Hemel-en-Aarde and Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge. Meaning ‘The Virgin’ in French, La Vierge takes its bright and unique inspiration from the surrounding Hemel-en-Aarde Valley in the Overberg region. In order to reach the cellar, their grapes actually take a 10km ride from Babylon farm up the road, where ocean breezes make for cool temperatures and the area has quite a high rainfall. With almost forty-four hectares under vineyard, the high rainfall comes in handy since they make use of dryland farming. Impressively, they grow no less than ten different cultivars on their little patch between heaven and earth. The region is famous for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but they also grow Sauvignon Blanc, Sangiovese, Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Semillon and Riesling. Come harvest season the team has their work cut out for them, because each of these is treated with the individual love and care it deserves.

“The Apogée series from La Vierge epitomises the very best expression of terroir from our beautiful vineyards. It is a vineyard site driven wine that emphasises the subtle differences in altitude, aspect, clonal expression and soil that make our vineyards unique. Minimal winemaking intervention is utilised to allow the vines to speak for themselves.”