Dheilan Williams

9.3

Beautifully crisp and acidic with subtle fruit finish. Paired with Pizzeria Bianco - fennel ssausage & caramelized onion pizza & asparagus — 7 months ago

Randy Fuller

9.0

This North Coast red blend offers up a dark nose of smoke, tar, plums, cigar box, vanilla, cedar and an old baseball glove. The palate shows huge black and red fruit, also with plenty of oak spice. BTW, the wine is said to pay homage to Abraham Lincoln. He may have been Honest Abe, but he was not a Federalist. But whatever. You’re not really drinking it for the backstory, are you?
— 5 years ago

Stanislav Lobanov

9.1

16.5/20 (91/100) Сладкий, джемовый аромат черешни, чёрной смородины, ванили с оксидативными нотами рыхлого красного яблока и чайной заварки. Тельное с довольно высокой кислотностью и интенсивными, обволакивающими танинами. Старый добрый новосветский стиль. #capewine2018 — 6 years ago

Brandon Boesch

9.3

Very nice. Grassy and floral initially with a smooth transition into vanilla and a hint of wood at the end. Leaves a vanilla ice cream aftertaste. Pretty good in a “la Magherita” made with cinnamon liqueur. — a year ago

Frank Kuo

9.2

Color of deep caramel. Nose of sweet apple, spice, powerful alcohol, oily, paint, oak, and more burning alcohol in the nasal cavity. Taste follows the nose with addition of zest, spicy caramel, minty, dense, and smoother than the nose. Aftertaste shows her strength again, with a touch of saltiness. Powerful, dense, and not for faint mind. — 6 years ago

Michael Falk

8.9

Little too high in acidity, but great expression of south tyrolian pinot blanc. — 7 years ago

ADAM STROMFELD

10

That vintage is not a misprint. Abraham Lincoln was president when is cognac was produced. And yes we are indulging in it now. Words just can't describe this. All I can say is thank you Benjy! Words cannot describe this so I will leave it to your imagination!!!! Yes it is better then you can ever predict — 7 years ago

with Frank, Bob and 1 other

Galen Hasler

9.0

Delicate classy feel. Rich finish. Mild tannins — 2 years ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.1

A slightly more modern yet highly authentic interpretation of Vernatsch. Cool & fresh with ripe plums, with some plum jam, a bit of damp earth & undergrowth, some graphite.
Nicely drawn, this is featherlight yet focused & precise, with pure, juicy fruit, good acidity and present tannins - quite light yet with grip. The aging in (large wood) fills the mid palate nicely. This is why I love Vernatsch!
Old vines, 5% Pinot noir, organic. — 5 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

We have been working on our South Africa and Egypt trip for months. Diligently doing research and talking about it daily.

One of our stops will be a week on the Western Cape or as many define it, Stellenbosch. It has always been on my wine region bucket list for its wines and beauty. One of my goals was to find some excellent producers of Pinotage.

This Beeslaar is the private label of the Winemaker at Kanonkop, Abrie Beeslaar. Abrie makes a black label Kanonkop that sells retail at $200. That’s right, $200! It must be deliriously good if they can get $200 for it.

I found this 2016 Beeslaar at K&L for just under $37. It’s the 1st Pinotage that has my eyes wide open as to what can’t be done with this difficult varietal in the right hands. If his private label is this good, I hope to visit Kanonkop and taste their black label.

The nose reveals; dark chocolate raisins, dark eastern spices, plum and black cherry, blueberries, baked strawberries, blackberries, black raspberries, black raisin currants, smokiness and grilled meats, black pepper and a touch of white, some green vegetal notes, cinnamon, dark chocolate mocha bar, dark fruit steeped tea, gravely schist, touch of coffee grounds, dark fruit roll-ups, leather, tobacco with ash with fresh, dark red & blue florals.

The body is full, thick and rich. There is a dark, tarry, dusty tannin structure. This will benefit from 3-5 years plus in bottle but, it is crazy good. Sound, firm; structure, big tension, long length and very good balance. Dark chocolate raisins, smokiness and grilled meats, dark eastern spices that brings pronounced heat to the palate, black plum, plum and black cherry, blueberries, baked strawberries, blackberries, black raspberries, raspberries, black raisin currants, dark berry bubblegum, black pepper and a touch of white, tree bark with a touch of sap, some green vegetal notes, cinnamon, dark chocolate mocha bar, dark fruit steeped tea, gravely schist, dry stones, touch of coffee grounds, dark fruit roll-ups, new un-smoothed leather, tobacco with ash with fresh, dark red & blue florals. The acidity is round and splendid. The elegant, rich finish runs ripe fruits to dry tannins with dusty earth and shows an even tug of war with its fruits and earthiness.

It drinks like a combination of; Grand Cru Gamay, Shiraz and Northern Rhône.

I will be getting more of this and forgetting about it for 5 more years. Can’t wait for that moment and noting the changes.

This wine raises my excitement level for our trip with each sip.

Pinotage is a grape variety made from a cross of Pinot Noir & Cinsaut that was created in South Africa in 1925 by Abraham Izak Perold, the first Professor of Viticulture at Stellenbosch University...making it one of the youngest grape varietals.

Photos of; a shot of just how beautiful Cape vineyards can be, Winemaker-Abrie Beeslaar, Pinotage fruit near harvest and field-hands harvesting their very tall vines. Beeslaar has no Cellar Door currently. — 6 years ago