2023 McFarlane Pinotage Saturday's Child Stellenbosch South Africa 750 ml

South African winemakers sometimes say Pinotage—a cross between Cinsault and Pinot Noir bred specifically for the nation’s terroir—has a razor-thin margin for error. But if anyone can walk that line with grace, it’s Alexandra McFarlane. 

She worked alongside Maayan Koschitzky at Dalla Valle, Andy Erickson at Favia, and the Barossa Valley’s legendary Henschke family. Then she brought her immense talent home to make wines from South African vineyards and varieties that inspire her. 

We could spill plenty of ink on Pinotage’s current renaissance among serious winemakers and discerning drinkers, but the 2023 McFarlane Saturday’s Child says it all: It’s got effusive aromas, juicy acidity, ripe, well-integrated tannins, and a palate loaded with notes of Rooibos tea, fresh licorice, red pepper, leather, strawberry, and exotic spices. 

That depth is in part why Wine Enthusiast said of Pinotage, “respect and admiration for these complex, cellar-worthy wines will only continue to grow.”

It’s a blessing and a curse that more Pinotage doesn’t make it to the US, says Wine Access Unfiltered host Amanda McCrossin. A curse because its most refined, structured, carefully crafted expressions rarely get the love they deserve. But a blessing because if more bottles like Saturday’s Child hit US shores, it would send Pinotage prices through the roof. 

Mcfarlane sourced this wine primarily from an organically farmed block of bush-trained vines on a shale-strewn slope in Durbanville, one of South Africa’s coolest-climate regions. The Tygerberg Hills valley funnels winds off the False Bay, cooling the vines and preserving some acid-driven freshness to balance the grapes’ concentration. 

Full-bodied, aromatic, and spice-tinged, we’ll be drinking it all autumn long. Give it a slight chill, find a seat fireside, and you’ll see why.