Cinsault is starting to make a name for itself as a monovarietal wine, and the two places you’re most likely to find some are Chile and South Africa.
Cinsault: Blending Partner or Solo Act?
Cinsault is widely planted in southern France, but is generally used as a blending grape because of its aromatics. It produces a light in body and color, low tannin wine with red fruit and floral notes. There may be some spice too. You typically find it blended in rosé from Provence or in some southern Rhone blends.
Some liken the grape to Pinot Noir, but Cinsault tends to be on the lighter side of Pinot for early consumption while many Pinot Noirs today are more structured with higher acidity, tannin, oak, earthier tones and sometimes darker fruit. If you like Pinot for its red fruit, floral aromatics and light body, then Cinsault is a nice alternative. Both can make versatile pairing partners too.
Outside of France, it’s also a blending partner in such places as Lebanon and North Africa because it can tolerate the heat well. With trends towards lighter wines and the popularity of Pinot, some old vine Cinsault are starting to be featured as monovarietal in places like California, Chile and South Africa. South Africa and Chile particularly have significant plantings.
Cinsault used to be the most planted grape in South Africa, where it was also known as Hermitage. However, it has been replaced by a hybrid of Cinsault and Pinot Noir called Pinotage (Pinot + Hermitage) although there are still old-vine plantings in the Western Cape that producers are starting to feature again. It was originally brought over by French Hugenots in the late 19th century.
In Chile, it was also brought over in the 19th century. The main region for Cinsault is Itata, the oldest wine-growing region in the country. As Maule is increasingly being known for old-vine Pais and Carignan, Itata has decided to feature Cinsault as its flagship grape. Most are light, red fruited with some herbal notes. Most are dry-farmed. The best ones are in Guarilihue over granite soil, where some producers focus on micro-terroirs, creating more complex and minerally versions. A lot of this is from the help of Pedro Parra, the world renown terroir specialist that is based in Concepcion, which is right at the end of the Itata Valley.
For today’s comparison, I’m going to compare one of Pedro Parra’s Cinsault to a top South African producer’s.
Tasting Notes
2020 AA Badenhorst Ramnasgras Cinsault Swartland
The winemaker here was the winemaker for Stellenbosch Vineyards for 9 years before founding the winery with his cousin in 2008. Dry-farmed single vineyard old vines on granite soil. Organic and sustainably farmed. Whole bunch fermentation in old oak vats and it matures there for 1 year.
Light, transparent color. A bit of reduction on the nose with lots of floral and red fruit. A bit earthy and spicy on the nose and palate. Light-bodied and soft. Red berry fruit and candied watermelon up front with some savory soy, minerally finish. Medium+ length. Not much midpalate and medium-low acid, but the subtle lingering savory notes gives it some framing at the end and it goes down so quickly over the palate so as to not dwell on what it lacks. It’s not supposed to be a blockbuster and like many Cinsault, the nose outperforms the palate, but there’s a Burgundy aspect to this wine overall but with lower acid than average Burgundy. Low alcohol at 11.5% 90
2021 Pedro Parra y Familia Monk Itata
For a long time, Pedro Parra was the only non-French wine terroir specialist, so he has been a blessing to Chilean producers and winemakers all over the world. He’s even partnered with Liger-Belair in Burgundy and Chile, as well as other Chilean projects like Clos des Fous. However, he now has his own family label. Being a fan of classic jazz, he has a line of Cinsault named after famous jazz musicians, each from different terroirs. This one is named after Theolonious Monk because of its complexity. The other Cinsault labels are called Miles, Hub, Newk and Trane. He also makes Imaginador, which is a blend from different growers in the area. He makes some Pais based wines too. The Monk is sourced from red granite soils with some silt and clay. Some whole cluster fermentation with natural yeast and aged in 1,500 liter oak vats for 10 months. Previous vintages produced only 1,000-2,000 bottles, so these are relatively pricier compared to most Chilean Cinsault.
Typical light transparent color, but a little darker than the Badenhorst. There’s a little more tannic structure and a lot more acidity. High acid red fruit. Mineral driven with a long salty finish. Still light and elegant like Cinsault tends to be, but unlike the Badenhorst, which is more fruity, floral and aromatic, the Monk has more tension, length, acidity and is mineral driven, earthy but a little tight, so I think it’ll improve. The palate is better than the nose unlike the Badenhorst and many Cinsault I’ve had. Others might prefer the Badenhorst because it’s fruity and easier to drink now without food, but the Monk has more terroir and intensity overall. It’s also quite Burgundy-esque, but at a premier cru level. More fruit will probably come with air. It’s still young. 93+