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Prescient Pinotage Report 2024: Top 10

By , 16 July 2024

Introduction

This year’s Pinotage Report sponsored by multinational financial services company Prescient is now out. There were 46 entries received from 27 producers and these were tasted blind (labels out of sight) by a three-person panel, scoring done according to the 100-point quality scale.

Top 10

The 10 best wines overall are:

95

Fairview Primo 2022*
Price: R550
Wine of Origin: Paarl
Abv: 14.11%

94

Black Elephant Vintners Rumble in the Jungle 2023
Price: R415
Wine of Origin: Franschhoek
Abv: 13.32%

94

Illimis 2023
Price: R295
Wine of Origin: Polkadraai Hills, Stellenbosch
Abv: 13.5%

93

Durbanville Hills Collectors Reserve The Promenade 2022
Price: R155
Wine of Origin: Durbanville, Cape Town
Abv: 14.2%

93

Flagstone Writer’s Block 2021
Price: R412
Wine of Origin: Swartland
Abv: 14.83%

92

Bellingham Homestead 2020
Price: R120
Wine of Origin: Stellenbosch
Abv: 14%

92

Boschendal 1685 2021
Price: R120
Wine of Origin: Coastal Region
Abv: 14%

92

Carlo 2022 (Stellenbosch Family Wines)
Price: R580
Wine of Origin: Stellenbosch
Abv: 13.73%

92

Du Toitskloof 2021
Price: R95
Wine of Origin: Western Cape
Abv: 14.28%

92

Eenzaamheid 2022
Price: R275
Wine of Origin: Agter-Paarl
Abv: 14%

Fairview, Paarl.

About the category

Pinotage, a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault (also called Hermitage, hence the contraction), was first engineered by Stellenbosch University’s Professor Abraham Perold in 1925. The first commercial bottling was released in 1961, namely the SFW’s 1959 Lanzerac Pinotage.

Pinotage is the sixth most widely planted variety in South Africa, making up 7.5% of the total area under vineyard at the end of 2023.

What does top Pinotage go for?

The average price of the 26 wines to rate 90-plus is R268 a bottle and of the Top 10 is R302.

Best buy

Offering the best quality relative to price is Charles Lang & Sons 2022 with a rating of 90 and selling for R45 a bottle.

Cherry, plum, fynbos and spice on the nose. Medium bodied with fresh acidity and soft tannins – easy and open.

In-depth analysis

To read the report in full, including key findings, tasting notes for the top wines and scores on the 100-point quality scale for all wines entered, download the following: Prescient Pinotage Report 2024

*Correction: Due to a series of logistical complications, the vintage of Fairview Primo entered was initially incorrectly reflected as 2020 when it is in fact 2022. The error is regretted.

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