2023 Craven Pinot Gris, Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa

ABOUT THIS WINE

The grapes were hand harvested and brought back to the Stellenbosch winery. The 2023 marks the second vintage using concrete ‘squares’ for fermentation and aging. The grapes were destemmed, and the juice was left to soak on the skins for seven days. It was then racked and the skins were pressed back to concrete where it aged for eight months. The wine received a light sheet filtration, but no fining, and it was bottled with just 45 ppm sulfur.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Craven Wines is a winemaking collaboration between husband-and-wife team Mick and Jeanine Craven. Mick is an Aussie currently working as lead winemaker at Mulderbosch during the day; Jeanine is South African, and they met in California 'dragging hoses' in Sonoma for harvest in 2007. After both having taken to the text books at their respective universities, they decided to hit the road, see lots of things, work in lots of places and try and learn as much as possible from this massive wine world. After travelling across the world together for four years and learning about wines in Australia, Europe, the States and South America, the couple returned to South Africa in late 2011. They feel Stellenbosch has such an amazing array of sites and terroir, and that it is perfect for what they want to do, which is making site-specific, honest wines.