Professor Black Pitch Black

£19.99

£26.65 per litre · incl. 20% VAT

In Stock

A classical Cape Bordeaux blend with a twist, Cabernet Sauvignon leads, joined by Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and a dash of Cinsault, just as Stellenbosch did things half a century ago. Smoky, plush and unmistakably Simonsberg, this is heritage in a bottle from one of the Cape's most storied estates.

Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.

Region

South Africa

Grape

Blends

Oak

The finish is lush and rich with a fresh acidity adding length and supported by well-integrated oak. All the varieties besides the Cinsault are de-stemmed and fermented on the skins for 2-3 weeks before pressing and aging in small French oak barrels for a period of 12 months, 24% new, 10% second fill, and 30% third fill, and the balance in older oak

UK wide delivery

Expert curated

Sourced direct

Our Verdict

We have a soft spot for Warwick, they've been making serious wine on the Simonsberg slopes for four generations, and Pitch Black is one of the most interesting things in their range. Most Cape Bordeaux blends play it straight; this one tips its hat to the way Stellenbosch used to make wine, with Cinsault adding a lifted, perfumed edge you don't get from a textbook claret. It's a wine for the curious drinker, someone who wants the structure of a classic blend but a story to tell alongside it. Brilliant value for a wine with this much pedigree behind it.

Tasting Notes

Lavender drifts up first, followed by wild strawberry, blackcurrant and a curl of aniseed, a nose that pulls you in before the glass even reaches your lips. The palate settles into something deeper: ripe plum, cassis and dark chocolate woven through smooth, fleshy tannins that fill the middle without weighing it down. A fresh seam of acidity stops the richness short of heavy, and the finish is long, savoury and lifted by well-judged French oak.

Lavender and aniseed lift

An aromatic top note of wild herbs and crushed lavender gives this blend a perfumed lift you don't expect from Stellenbosch Cabernet.

Dark plum and cassis core

Ripe plum and blackcurrant form the fleshy heart of the wine, generous, juicy and unmistakably Cape in its sun-warmed depth.

Dark chocolate and spice

A layer of cocoa-edged darkness and gentle baking spice rolls through the mid-palate, adding the savoury weight that makes this food-friendly.

Polished French oak

Twelve months in French barrels, a quarter new, adds toast and structure without smothering the fruit. The integration is the giveaway.

About This Wine

Some wines look forward. This one looks back, and is all the better for it. Pitch Black is Warwick Estate's love letter to mid-century Stellenbosch, when the great Cape reds were built on Bordeaux varieties with a splash of Cinsault thrown in for lift and perfume. The result is a blend you simply don't find very often anymore, and tasting it feels like stumbling onto a piece of South African wine history.

Cabernet Sauvignon does the heavy lifting at 41%, with Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and that telltale Cinsault filling in the picture. Pour a glass and you'll find lavender, wild strawberry and a whisper of aniseed on the nose, then a core of ripe plum, blackcurrant and dark chocolate on the palate. The tannins are smooth rather than gripping, the oak is integrated rather than showy, and there's a fresh acidity running underneath that keeps everything moving.

The Bordeaux portion spends a year in French oak, a careful mix of new, second and third-fill barrels, while the Cinsault is fermented whole-bunch and aged unwooded, preserving its lift. It's a wine made for the table: slow-braised beef short rib with creamy polenta is the producer's own pairing, and we'd happily second that. Equally at home with a Sunday roast or an oxtail stew when the British weather turns.

Drinking beautifully now, but it'll reward another three to five years in a cool cupboard. Delivered across the UK, and a properly thoughtful gift for anyone with a soft spot for Stellenbosch.

Food Pairing

This wants something slow-cooked and savoury. Braised beef short rib on creamy polenta is the textbook match, the wine's dark fruit cuts through the richness, the acidity refreshes between bites. It's equally at home with a Sunday roast of rare beef, a venison casserole, or a wedge of aged Gouda after the plates are cleared.

—Slow-braised beef short rib with creamy polenta
—Rare roast sirloin with horseradish and Yorkshire puddings
—Venison casserole with juniper and red wine
—Lamb shank with rosemary and white beans
—Aged Gouda or mature Cheddar with quince paste

How to Serve

Temperature

Cool room temperature. Pull it from the rack about thirty minutes before serving, never warm.

Decanting

Give it forty-five minutes to an hour in a decanter. The blend has real complexity to unpack, and a bit of air lets the lavender and aniseed step forward while the tannins settle into something silkier.

Glass

A large-bowled Bordeaux glass gives the perfumed nose room to open and directs the wine to the mid-palate.

Cellaring

Lay it down on its side, away from light and temperature swings. Ideally 12–14°C with steady humidity, and it'll happily evolve over the next three to five years.

Ageing & Cellaring

Drinking beautifully now, with the fruit forward and the tannins already polished. Give it three to five years in a cool, dark spot and you'll see the lavender and aniseed deepen into something more savoury, the oak fold further into the fruit, and the finish stretch out further still.

The Land

Decomposed granite soils on the Simonsberg slopes drain hard and keep yields modest, while elevation and ocean breezes from False Bay slow ripening enough to preserve acidity. The result is fruit with concentration but also lift, the backbone behind this blend's dark depth and freshness.

The Winemaking

A classical Cape Bordeaux blend with a twist, Cinsault joins the usual suspects, just as it did in Stellenbosch half a century ago. The Bordeaux varieties are de-stemmed and fermented on skins for two to three weeks, drawing out colour and structure before pressing. Twelve months in small French oak follows, with roughly a quarter new barrels and the rest split between second, third and older fills, enough wood to frame the fruit without smothering it. The Cinsault goes its own way, fermented whole bunch and aged unwooded for lift and perfume.

About the Producer

South African Red

Alvi's Drift takes its name from a low-water bridge over the Breede River, built back in 1930 thanks to the determination of Albertus Viljoen van der Merwe, Oupa Alvi to the family. The farm has been in the family since 1928, and the original cellar from 1932, concrete fermentation tanks and all, is still part of working life today. The winery is now run by Oupa Alvi's grandson, also Alvi, who trained as a medical doctor before swapping the stethoscope for the cellar. His first bottlings under the family name went out in 2003, and the wines have collected piles of medals at the Veritas Awards ever since. The Signature range is his way of putting genuinely characterful wine within easy reach, great, he likes to say, for the price of good.

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