Lomond Wines Phantom Pinot Noir 2025
£16.75
The wine
Fragrant aromas of rose petals and oriental spice lead to notes of wild, red-berried fruit and an appealing earthy complexity. Elegant, with beautifully integrated oak, refined tannins and a long, silky finish.
Pinot Noir this far south is a serious proposition, since the variety is thin-skinned and unforgiving of warmth. The Agulhas Plain's cool maritime air and long ripening season allow it to keep its perfume and fine tannin. Phantom takes its name from the ghost frog found in the streams of the Uilenkraal valley above the estate.
The producer
Lomond Wines
View all Lomond Wines winesLomond was established in 1999 on the Agulhas Plain near the southernmost tip of Africa, eight kilometres from the fishing village of Gansbaai and within sight of the sea. It takes its name from the Ben Lomond mountain in the Uilenkraal valley above it.
Cape Agulhas is the true southern tip of the continent and the point where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet, which makes this among the coolest and windiest viticulture in South Africa. Sea air moves across the vineyards constantly, slowing ripening and giving Sauvignon Blanc an intensity and a distinct saline, oyster-shell character that inland regions cannot produce.
The estate sits within a conservation area of fynbos, the extraordinarily biodiverse shrubland unique to this corner of the world, and several wines are named after the plants that grow among the vines: pincushion protea, conebush. Cellar master Anné van Heerden works single blocks separately across the property rather than blending the estate into one house style.
