Testalonga El Bandito Cortez 2024
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About The Winery
Country: South Africa
Region: Swartland
Craig and Carla Hawkins are not ones to follow trends—they set them. Their wines stand at the forefront of South Africa’s natural wine movement. Since their first vintage twelve years ago, much has evolved, yet the foundational principles of the project remain firmly intact.
Their goal is to capture purity, precision, and vibrancy. They work exclusively with vineyards capable of producing high-quality grapes with naturally low pH, which allows for minimal intervention in the cellar. Herbicides and pesticides are strictly avoided. Instead, they plant cover crops during the winter months to retain moisture and support soil health in the dry Swartland climate.
Site expression is essential. Each wine is made from a single grape variety, sourced from a single vineyard.
In the cellar, nothing is added—no commercial yeast, enzymes, or acid. The white wines are whole-bunch pressed and fermented in stainless steel, foudre, or small oak barrels. The skin-contact whites are destemmed and fermented on their skins for 7 to 14 days in insulated open-top fermenters before being pressed into old wood. The reds are fermented whole-bunch and usually pressed after 3 to 4 days. A tiny amount of sulfur may be added just before bottling.