SOUTHERN RIGHT Walker Bay, South Africa

"In 1994, Anthony Hamilton-Russell founded Southern Right Cellars as a Pinotage specialist, convinced that Pinotage has the intrinsic qualities to produce truly world-class wine with a distinct South African expression and typicity. As an early ripening grape, it is Anthony’s belief that Pinotage will perform best in cooler, maritime areas, where a longer, slower ripening season will afford fully developed tannins and a greater fruit complexity. In partnership with winemaker Kevin Grant, the team initiated plantings on four carefully chosen, clay rich sites in the cool, maritime Walker bay appellation. Following in-depth soil research on Hamilton-Russell vineyards, Anthony and Kevin were able to discern that the most site-expressive and complex wines will be produced off of the stony, clay-rich Bokkeveld shale soils in the area. In 1998, a 113 hectare farm in the beautiful Hemel-en-Aarde Valley near Hermanus, was purchased as a central home for the Southern Right Cellar. The first Southern Right Pinotage and Sauvignon Blanc were released in 1995. As an early ripening grape, it is Anthony’s belief that Pinotage will perform best in cooler, maritime areas, where a longer, slower With each bottle of Southern Right wine sold, Southern Right Cellars makes a contribution to Southern Right whale conservation in the Walker Bay."