The Producer
The Vondeling Bowwood Pinotage 2022 comes from one of the Cape Winelands’ most focused single-vineyard Pinotage estates. Vondeling sits on the Voor-Paardeberg road northwest of Paarl, at the foot of the Voor Paardeberg mountain — a terroir that delivers structure, aromatics, and genuine cellaring potential. The estate has built a reputation over eight Bowwood vintages for wines that improve with time.
Vintage & Terroir
The single Bowwood block is planted in clay-rich gravel soils, with shy-bearing vines that have been producing concentrated fruit since 1998. A North-South row orientation draws on gentle morning and late afternoon light — ideal for slow, even ripening and the development of complex aromatics. The 2022 harvest took place in early February at 25 Balling, delivering intensely flavoured, fully concentrated fruit.
In the Cellar
Hand-picked, pre-chilled, and berry-sorted, the fruit is fermented whole — without crushing — in open-top vessels. Daily punch-downs over eight days extract colour and tannin gently. The wine is basket-pressed directly to new and second-fill French and American oak barrels, where malolactic fermentation integrates the oak seamlessly. Eighteen months on yeast and malolactic lees builds texture and depth; then the finest 12 barrels are selected, blended, and returned to barrel for a further six months. After a four-month stabilisation period, the wine rests in bottle for a full year before release — nearly four years from harvest to your cellar.
Tasting Notes
The 2022 presents an opaque, inky pour with deep purple and red hues. On the nose: intense black cherry and plum, layered with sweet cloves and vanilla-rich oak. The palate is bold and broad, with pungent spice aromatics and undertones of roasted almond and cigar smoke. Abundant fine tannins anchor a rich, full-flavoured wine with soft acidity and a long, complex finish. Rated 92/100 — Tim Atkin South Africa Special Report, 2025 (timatkin.com).
Food Pairing
Bold enough for the most serious braai — partner with slow-cooked lamb shoulder, a charred bone-in rib-eye, or a Cape Malay lamb curry. The broad tannins also hold their own against aged hard cheese and oxtail stew. Cellar it for another two to five years if you can resist. Order your case and keep the Tribe well-poured.
