Felicité by Newton Johnson Pinot Noir 2019

Does local Pinot Noir demand a premium due to its fashionability and relative scarcity? The answer has to be “Yes””. Are there bargains to be had? I was impressed with the 2018 vintage of Felicité by Newton Johnson, a wine made from grapes sourced from across the Cape South Coast but the 2019 underwhelms.

The nose shows red cherry plus a slight meaty quality while the palate is medium bodied with moderate acidity and no tannins to speak of. It’s not vile but at R120 a bottle, the quality relative to price is an issue – if you’re looking for a light red to serve chilled for this kind of money, then Cinsault is probably a better an option while if you’re Pinot obsessed then you’re going to need to spend quite a bit more.

CE’s rating: 86/100.

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