Blankbottle, Pierre Le Cois, Stellenbosch, South Africa, 2022

Producer Profile

Blankbottle is the fiercely independent South African wine project of Pieter Walser, a winemaker known for rejecting convention in favour of curiosity, instinct and storytelling.

Founded in the early 2000s, the name stems from Walser’s early trade in unlabelled bottles and reflects his core philosophy: wine should be judged solely on what is in the glass, not what is written on the label. Each release is treated as an individual narrative, with no grape varieties listed and no fixed stylistic boundaries. Walser owns no vineyards, instead working as a modern-day négociant, sourcing fruit from exceptional sites across the Western Cape, often in extremely small parcels. The result is an ever-evolving portfolio of distinctive, site-driven wines, many of which are made only once and never repeated. Each label is handcrafted by owner-winemaker Pieter Walser, using a variety of techniques such as woodcuts, lino, pencil drawings, stencils etc. Having no indication of varietals on the label - leaving it BLANK - removing all preconceptions as to what lies beyond.

Viticulture

An organically farmed blend from the helderberg. VSP trellis vineyards protected from the South Easter, located in the middle of the Helderberg 200 meters above sea level. High soil water holding capacity - high clay content generated from decomposed scale.

Winemaking

The grapes were picked at optimal ripeness and cooled overnight to 4 degrees celsius. The next morning the grapes were destemmed to open top fermenters. The juice underwent spontaneous fermentation and stayed on the skins for as long as possible. Pressed into French oak small barrels - 40% new, 18 months in barrel, blended and bottled.

Tasting Note

Compact, dense Bordeaux blend, packed with damson and black berry fruit. This wine has real presence, yet underlying freshness and grip frokm the iron-rich clay soils. A wsine dedicated to farmers all over the world, and here's why'The X-factor - The Pierre-Le-Cois effect as Pieter calls it. The guy and nowadays often, the girl in the bakkie. The eyes who look holistically at the big picture and apply knowledge and experience within the comfort of like minded wise minds - enabling the application of practices to guide these vines to the ultimate expression of themselves. Season upon season.

Food matching

Perfect with roast lamb, grilled steaks or hearty vegetable dishes.