Kanonkop opened its 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinotage to celebrate 50 years of bottling its own wine, and Johann Krige says both were stunning.
Recorded in the garden at Kanonkop in Stellenbosch, Matt Weiss talks with Johann Krige, who co-owns the estate with his brother Paul. Johann explains how the family pulled out Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Riesling to focus on Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinotage, and how bush vines, open concrete fermenters and a fermentation of about three and a half days give Kanonkop's Pinotage its structure and long life. He talks about the philosophy behind the estate's reputation, his rule against nepotism in a family business, and his time in the Botswana bush. He also explains what Americans get wrong about Pinotage, how South Africa's wine reputation suffered after sanctions lifted in the early 1990s, and how a signal cannon on the Simonsberg gave Kanonkop its name.
Kanonkop sits on the lower slopes of the Simonsberg. Johann and Paul Krige are grandsons of Paul Sauer, namesake of the estate's Bordeaux-style blend, and the first wines under the Kanonkop label were bottled in 1973.
Mentioned: Kanonkop Pinotage, Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon, Paul Sauer, Pinot Noir, Cinsault, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch University, the Simonsberg, Cape Town harbour, Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, Botswana, the South African braai.
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Kanonkop: kanonkop.co.za
Instagram: @kanonkopwineestate
The Wine Centric Show: winecentricshow.com