Region: Elgin
Paul and Nicky Wallace purchased their 25 hectare farm in September 2003 and immediately set out to create their own little piece of heaven. Paul is a viticultural consultant and here at last he could practise what he has advised and encouraged other farmers to do in their vineyards.
It has long been Paul’s belief that the cool-climate region of Elgin, previously best known for its apples and pears, is one of the most exciting developing wine regions within the South African wine industry and indeed internationally.
The 2018 Paul Wallace Black Dog Malbec is the tenth vintage made from grapes produced on our own farm, Wallovale Vineyards in Elgin. It is named after Paul’s beefy black shadow, a cross Labrador/Rottweiler, named Jake. The Malbec grape is also known as the Black Grape and it is this characteristic that has been incorporated into the name. The three individual blocks that comprise our Malbec plantings each have their own unique profile due to different row direction and training systems. Each block was harvested separately, each contributing it’s own unique building block. Left on the skins, post fermentation before being transferred into 225 and 300 lit French oak barriques, where malolactic fermentation took place. The wine spent approximately 18 months in wood with a 20% new wood component. 15% was matured in a concrete egg, contributing towards the fruit driven profile and adding yet another building block to the final compilation.