In a first from Kevin Grant
since leaving Hamilton-Russell and starting Ataraxia, the hotly
anticipated inaugural Ataraxia Pinot Noir 2014 is now on release for
sale.
When we
first tasted this wine late last year on a rare visit from Kevin to the
office, the room went silent, and chins grazed the floor. We were all
blown away by what was in our glasses.
"The
wine has an intriguing luminous hue that reflects rather than absorbs
light. The svelte nose offers up a fine blend of red cherries,
pomegranate, delicate forest floor and a hint of spice and new oak. On
the palate the wine is sensual and embracing, with a captivating mid -
palate depth, lovely transparency and excellent focus on a suavely
tannic finish."
After
successive vintages where Kevin worked tirelessly to help establish the
Hemel-en-Aarde Valley at the forefront of quality Chardonnay and Pinot
Noir production in South Africa, “going it alone” became the obvious
natural progression for this studious, passionate winemaking
perfectionist. “For anybody mildly ambitious, being a good jockey on
someone else’s horse is okay, but it’s not the ultimate. Jockeying your
own thoroughbred successfully is the prize.”
The
name ATARAXIA is “a term used to describe emotional tranquillity,”
explains Kevin, “or in more expanded terms, the freedom from disturbance
that characterises a balanced mind and constitutes its first step
towards the achievement of pleasure. It’s really about conveying the
very essence of what drinking good wine does for us and not to us as
human beings."
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