Pilgrim, Viura 2024
Owner and Viticulturist Riëtte Kotzé and Winemaker Henry Kotzé (also head winemaker at Mulderbosch, having recently left Morgenster), are the dynamic young ‘pilgrims’ behind this boutique, Platter’s Newcomer of the Year 2021 producer.
Focussing on innovative methods with tried and tested cultivars, as well as experimental styles with unorthodox, unfamiliar cultivars, family-owned Pilgrim Wines sets the stage for delicious staples that excite the senses.
Grapes are harvested from a small block of only 200 vines in the Breedekloof. When the grapes arrive at the winery, they are sorted before being crushed and allowed 12 hours of skin contact, in order to extract additional flavour compounds and structure for the wine.
The wine opens with aromas of flint and wet stones before all the smells of a Spring morning – fresh, crisp, pretty blossom – followed by an array of fruit, ranging from lime to guava. On the palate the wine is surprisingly weighty, as a result of the skin contact and 3 months in neutral oak with battonage. Fresh and lively, with zingy acidity and flinty, pithy minerality – yet beautifully elegant and well rounded.
£20.55
Breedekloof
Viura
Bone-drySweet
Description
Terroir & Site
These 200 vines sit on ancient riverbed of about 4 meters deep. Combined with the rich, fertile silt deposits of this old-world flood plain which is the Breedekloof Valley, the vines are robust and thrive, producing fruit that perfectly accents their heritage and terroir.
Harvest Conditions
The 2024 growing season offered a diverse mix of weather patterns. We experienced a particularly wet spring (September 2023 was the wettest September in 50 years!), which kept us on our toes managing vine health and mildew prevention. As summer arrived, warm and dry conditions prevailed, allowing our grapes to ripen beautifully.
This combination of weather has resulted in exceptional grape quality, with an ideal balance of sugars and acidity.
Vinification Method
After a combination of whole-bunch and freshly destemmed grapes, the press was initiated to separate the skins from the juice immediately. A very important difference from earlier years is – no extended skin contact. Fermentation began and concluded naturally, and maturation took place in those same barrels for 3 months in total, after which the wine was racked and bottled, with minimal intervention.
Bottled on the 30th of May 2024
Tasting Notes
Color: Light golden hue with a green tinge
Nose: Sweet Jasmine and lemon blossom perfume present, with more saline, tilled earth notes waiting in the background.
Palate: Light, elegant and focused, with a big flinty mineral-like appearance, linear and present. Some sweet fruit, with supporting earthy, wet stone development. We purposely picked early, as we wanted more focus being put on the saline, minerally focused aspect of this wonderful light Mediterranean grape, and to highlight the flavor expressions that are different from the norm in this very exciting variety called Viura.
Analysis
Alcohol 11.5 %
Residual sugar 1.6 g/l
pH 3.22
Total acidity 5.8 g/l
Volatile acidity 0.35 g/l
Additional information
| Alcohol vol | 11.5% |
|---|---|
| Grape | Viura |
| Vintage | 2024 |
| Wine Farm | |
| Origin | Breedekloof |
Think of Viura’s native Spain and pair it with your favourite tapas. Delicious with seafood, white meat and charcuterie.
1 review for Pilgrim, Viura 2024
You may also like
-
Pilgrim, Chenin Blanc 2022
£22.35
Stellenbosch, Swartland
Chenin Blanc
Bone-drySweet
Find out moreAdd to basketNaturally fermented with portions of skin contact and foot treading result in a layered, complex wine that will leave you wanting another sip.
-
Pilgrim, Shiraz 2020
£21.70
Stellenbosch
Shiraz / Syrah
LightFull Bodied
Find out moreAdd to basketA ‘Goldilocks’ wine - dancing the fine line between Shiraz (riper) and Syrah (more austere).
90 points | Platter’s Wine Guide 2025
“Increasingly worthy of its rare sole status. Pure lime, pear and spice on 2024, ex Breedekloof, grows in intensity & breadth, rounds off with textured grip, its personality evident in youth, has structure to grow over year/2. Pre-ferment cold soak, 2 months larger oak.”
Platter’s Wine Guide 2025 –