Crystallum

Crystallum

A small South African producer working out of the Hemel-en-Aarde, the cool valley running inland from Hermanus on the southern Cape coast. Crystallum makes Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and nothing else, in small volumes, from bought and leased parcels rather than a single estate vineyard.

The range

The two wider-volume bottlings are The Agnes Chardonnay and Peter Max Pinot Noir, and they are the usual starting point. Ferrum Chardonnay sits alongside them. The site-specific wines — Clay Shales and Mabalel in Chardonnay and Pinot, Bona Fide and Cuvée Cinéma from the Hemel-en-Aarde, and Litigo — are made in genuinely small quantities and appear here vintage by vintage as each allocation lands. If a cuvée you want is not listed, ask: the next release is usually months rather than years away.

What to expect

Burgundy-shaped winemaking in a cooler corner of South Africa — whole-bunch work in the Pinot, restrained oak in the Chardonnay, and alcohol levels well below what most people expect from the Cape. It is not inexpensive, and it is not trying to be a bargain alternative to Burgundy. It is one of the reasons people find us.

Serving and cellaring

Pinot Noir at 14–16°C, Chardonnay at 11–13°C. Current releases can be opened on arrival; the site-specific wines are normally cellared for several years first.