Southern Right Pinotage

Wine Story

Southern Right is a small Pinotage and Sauvignon blanc specialist located on a strikingly beautiful 448 ha property in the cool, maritime, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley appellation, just behind the old fishing village and seaside resort of Hermanus.

Founded by Anthony Hamilton Russell in 1994, Southern Right's aim was to produce a serious, age-worthy Pinotage (South Africa’s unique red grape variety) combining a distinct South African fruit and flavour expression with classic styling and refinement. It is Anthony's belief that as an early ripening grape, Pinotage is best suited to cooler areas. It was also his conviction that the stony, high clay content, shale-derived soils on the sites he chose for the vineyards, were best suited to creating the more classic style he was aiming for. Rigorous yield management and extreme care to ensure harvesting at proper physiological ripeness, but not over-ripeness, combine with the terroir to re-define South Africa's red grape variety. Often referred to as the “Pinotage for people who don’t like Pinotage”, this wine is highly allocated and is made from our own vineyards in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley (with the occasional very small quantity of Walker Bay grapes in very low yielding years). Our Sauvignon blanc remains a local and international best-seller. It is Sauvignon blanc as “fine wine” rather than a simple varietal expression. This wine is more about palate length, texture at lower alcohol, minerality and salinity - than just dramatic varietal fruit. In the context of the world’s Sauvignon blanc offerings, the success of this wine is specifically because of its non-reliance on amplified varietal fruit. We achieve this, among other things, through organic yeasts and a selected endemic area yeast, along with using grapes grown on different soil-types. The grapes are sourced from top vineyards in our Walker Bay district, with a significant percentage from our own vineyards. Southern Right is unusually focused for the new world and for over 25 years we have produced a single Pinotage and a single Sauvignon blanc.

Southern Right is home to more than 200 hectares of pristine Cape Mountain Fynbos which forms part of our private nature reserve. The wines are named after the rare Southern Right whales, which frequent the cool South Atlantic Walker Bay, 3 kilometres from the vineyards. With each bottle sold, Southern Right makes a contribution to their conservation or conservation in the area.

Our sustainability, conservation ethic and reputation for a variety originating in South Africa, make Southern Right a proud and compatible partner with Frank Matthys' carefully selected portfolio of small and authentic national fine wine specialists.