Educational Range: Cinsaut 2007

This is the release of the 4th, and last, wine in The Spaniard Educational Range: BLANKbottle Cinsaut 2007.

Most South Africans would recognize Cinsaut/Cinsault as one of the parents of Pinotage. It was previously knowns as Hermitage. Cinsaut vines produce big bunches of huge berries. This leads to a wine that is lighter in colour and structure which is mostly used in blends to add softness and bouquet. Although Cinsaut already plays a massive role in wines at lower price points, I personally feel it will most likely become a much larger role player in expensive blends in the near future. I am so impressed with this specific wine that I will most definitely repeat this in the future. It might take me 2 years to achieve, but I feel that if Cinsaut can do this, who knows where it could go... If you haven't yet heard of The Spaniard Educational range, please read below.

THE EDUCATIONAL RANGE: In August 2009, I released a wine called The Spaniard. The Spaniard is a blend of 42% Mourvèdre, 24% Carignan, 24% Grenache and 10% Cinsaut. An unique wine, which I personally feel was a breakthrough for BLANKbottle in terms of innovation. After the first bottling I had enough wine left in barrel for a second bottling. I then had a choice: I could either bottle a second batch along the same lines as the first Spaniard or I could go for something very different. Going against my own personal preference in wine I decided to bottle them all as single varietals. In my opinion, each of the components is exceptional and of the best expression of that specific cultivar that I've tasted . Besides that, I know it'll get you talking! So I've bottled each of the cultivars separately, by hand straight from barrel, unfiltered and unfined. I ended up with four very limited batches of wine I now call: the Educational Range, parts 1 - 4. Initially my plan was to expose you to and teach you the differences in each of these eccentric varietals. Now, after six months in bottle, these wines have matured and grown into four spectacular wines in their own right. I know that the whole is supposed to be better than the sum of the parts, but trust me in this case: each part is spectacular - The Carignan, Mourvèdre, Grenache and the Cinsaut.