Abrie Beeslaar is the cellarmaster at Kanonkop Estate in Stellenbosch, a position he inherited from his mentor and pinotage specialist Beyers Truter. There he works with Bordeaux varieties as well as pinotage; but for his own label he and his wife Jeanne chose to focus on South Africa’s very own grape variety. 2012 was the first bottling of Beeslaar Pinotage; the 2013 was awarded the coveted five stars in the 2016 Platter’s Guide.
The wines differ from those made at Kanonkop, displaying perhaps a more modern interpretation of the grape. What is certain is that these wines offer cellaring potential as well as immediacy of fruit, and that this is a new name to watch.