This is the first time we’ve ever featured a Pinotage at SommSelect, and we know some of you will think we’ve gone completely off our rocker. After all, this is a grape that Master Sommeliers, Masters of Wine, and seasoned pros have spent decades side‑eyeing thanks to the mass‑produced, over‑cropped, rubber‑tinged versions that once flooded the market. But Pinotage—South Africa’s native crossing of Pinot Noir and Cinsault—is capable of extraordinary things when grown in the right soils and handled with restraint, and the finest, cool‑climate, low‑yield expressions—wines of tension, perfume, and age‑worthy structure—rarely leave South Africa. This is the Pinotage you pour blind for your serious Francophiles and the discerning palates who live for the finest American Pinot Noir.

Today, we’re taking you down that road less traveled with a U.S.‑exclusive allocation of one of the country’s rarest and most refined examples: the 2022 Ashbourne Pinotage, a microscopic‑production jewel from Anthony Hamilton Russell’s dedicated Pinotage estate

For those who know the Western Cape, this corner of Walker Bay is one of the most breathtaking wine landscapes on earth—mountains plunging toward the sea, cool winds funneling through narrow valleys, and vineyards rooted in ancient, clay‑rich soils. “Walker Bay is like the California Central Coast meets Burgundy,” a place where long, slow ripening seasons create wines of tension, minerality, and quiet power. Ashbourne sits on a 64‑hectare property just inland from Hermanus, where heavy clays and a maritime climate coax Pinotage into a form that feels both familiar and entirely new: perfumed, savory, structured, and unmistakably refined.

This is the Pinotage that seasoned professionals whisper about—the antidote to the flabby, rubbery caricatures that gave the grape its reputation. Hamilton Russell founded Ashbourne in 1996 with a simple conviction: Pinotage, grown in the right soils and handled with restraint, can stand beside the world’s greatest reds. 

The critics agree. Tim Atkin, Master of Wine, awarded the 2022 vintage 96 points, calling it one of the estate’s finest releases to date, while John Platter, South Africa’s most influential critic, continues to praise Ashbourne for its “refinement,” “cool‑climate elegance,” and “classic structure.” Serve it at 55–65 degrees and give it 60–90 minutes in a decanter—this blossoms into something Burgundy, Rhône, and South African collectors alike will recognize as truly special.

We were able to secure just 12 six‑packs for our VIP members—a vanishingly small allocation of a wine that rarely escapes the Cape. For those who love Red Burgundy, Côte‑Rôtie, Cornas, or the mineral‑driven reds of the Central Coast, this is a chance to experience South Africa at its most soulful and sophisticated. It’s a road less traveled, yes—but once you taste Ashbourne, you’ll wonder why more people haven’t found their way here. Cheers!

Critical Acclaim:

96 Points, Tim Atkin, Master of Wine (South Africa Special Report Sept. 2024):

• “One of the best Ashbourne releases yet, this fully justifies Anthony Hamilton Russell's claim that this often under-valued grape can produce world-class wines. Sourced from a six--year old 2.2-hectare vineyard on heavy clays, it's alluringly perfumed and intense, with potpourri and rose petal aromas, caressing tannins, pomegranate and wild strawberry flavours and a racy, balanced finish."