- As Wine Editor, people send me wine to taste and feature, so I've decided to do just that.
- Featuring four wines recently received with a bit of background for you to consider tasting.
"Be curious, not judgemental." - Ted Lasso or Walt Whitman…
In wine, I think there's a disparity between top-rated wines, 100 and 95 point wines, five-star wines, and the R90 or R120 bottle that you open at the end of a long Tuesday when you've exhausted all your words, and you'd just like to sit and reflect, not on the wine per s , but your day.
Ken Forrester once said that his entry-level Petit range is a 100-point wine, not because any wine critic judged it so, but because it will deliver year-on-year, day-on-day. Offering you a dependable, enjoyable companion to your day and meal without asking too much of you. Very rarely will someone open a R700 bottle of wine without it being some event or occasion - I mean, it would be lovely to drink a R700 bottle of wine on a random Tuesday, but I would think about it. Wouldn't you?
Anyway, last week, at the Judges' Panel Discussion of the Trophy Wine Show, one of the judges remarked: "Don't make a showhorse. Make a wine you'd like to drink…" And so I thought I'd share with you some of the wines recently shared with me, based on nothing more than the fact that their producers thought them noteworthy enough to find my address and send me a bottle with its story. I couldn't drink any of them without telling you about it and hopefully entice you to get curious. Maybe you might find your 100-point wine of choice.
*If these deliveries keep happening, I'll have to institute a regular unboxing day feature, but I'll keep you abreast of the situation.
https://www.simonsig.co.za/langbultsteen/
100% Old Vine Chenin Blanc from Stellenbosch
R235 per bottle
Simonsig's first old vine Chenin from vines planted in 1987 on the farm in Stellenbosch and tended by three generations of Malans {a notable thing, given that most old vine parcels aren't vinified by the same people who planted them}. In fact, Chenin Blanc / Steen was the first wine ever bottled by founder Frans Malan in 1968. Previously known as Chenin Avec Ch ne before old vine status was attained, this the 2022 Langbult Steen is the maiden vintage of this distinctly old Chenin in its new guise. In Tim Atkin MW's 2022 South Africa Report, he rated the Chenin Avec Ch ne 2020 90 points and speaks of an attractively wooded Chenin Blanc. Though I think this one has less wooded characteristics and takes its character more from the different ripeness levels of various pickings, large format barrels, and time on the lees. More vine, less cellar. A proud moment for the family, and who can go wrong with an old vine Chenin in South Africa?
You know, Frans Malan was one of the "three angry men" {Spatz Sperling called them that in his memoire} who started the Stellenbosch Wine Route, with Niel Joubert of Spier, and Spatz Sperling of Delheim, and they made the first "Kaapse Vonkel"/ Cap Classique in South Africa. Thus, a historic farm with a proud heritage and a brand you can trust. * You should really read Spatz Sperling's Memoire if you have the time. It's like a time capsule with funny stories about a cow that drank a barrel of Pinotage and a truck full of wine stuck in the middle of Stellenbosch. Definitely a sidenote, but I couldn't resist. Find the PDF here.
https://diemersdal.co.za/product/durbanville-wine-valley-sauvignon-blanc-2023/
Durbanville Sauvignon Blanc 2023
100% Sauvignon Blanc from 13 Durbanville Producers
R120 per bottle
Now here's another collaborative effort from 13 Durbanville producers, now in its second year (apparently 10 000 bottles sold out in six months), Sauvignon Blanc! The 2022 vintage is a blend from Altydgedacht, Bloemendal, Canto, D'Aria, De Grendel, Diemersdal, Durbanville Hills, Groot Phesantekraal, Klein Roosboom, Maastricht, Meerendal, Nitida, and Signal Gun, with the final blend compiled by De Grendel winemaker, Morgan Steyn. Durbanville featured in this year's Concours Mondial du Sauvignon Competition held for the first time in South Africa, as one of the few regions featured to the international judges, based on the prime Sauvignon examples coming from here. Louis Strydom once told me the old folk used to say that if your vineyard has a view of Table Mountain, it will make great wines, which is precisely what Durbanville has, a view of the mountain, and the sea, which translates into a cooler climate area, and perfect for Sauvignon Blanc. This particular one showcases tropical fruit and hints of fresh-cut grass, a Durbanvillian to its core.
More than that, I love to see the collaborative spirit of the winemakers and estates, ubuntu in practice, throwing their cap in the ring for Sauvignon Blanc. Best see if you like it.
https://www.kleinconstantia.com/our-wines/estate-wine/sauvignon-blanc/
Klein Constantia Sauvignon Blanc 2022
100% Sauvignon Blanc from Constantia
R185 per bottle
Co-incidentally, Constantia was one of the other wine regions the Concours Mondial du Sauvignon thought relevant to visit, and the winemakers all came together to explain just why they were so uniquely suited to the grape. Theirs had more to do with elevation, with vines situated 70 to 340m above sea level, and this specific example is made up of 52 passes through 42 different parcels… I don't think you understand the complexity of that! I think more and more proving the point; as Bruwer Raats told me the other day, entry-level wines are the wines winemakers put the most effort into. To create that elusive, trusty, every day, 100-point wine. This one has a distinct mineral character, with just that touch of salinity from its proximity to the ocean.
I like the Constantia bunch, like the Durbanvillians, they present a united front, and you can be sure that this wine has benefitted from their shared experience. Might be nice to try the two in comparison?
25% Carignan, 22% Shiraz, 20% Mataro (Mourv dre), 16% Durif, 14% Grenache Noir, 3% Tannat from Swartland
R195 per bottle
I have a soft spot for Charl du Plessis of Spice Route. I interviewed him back in 2020 (pre-Covid), the most unassuming of men. He's been making wine on this pioneering Swartland farm since 2002 when he took over from Eben Sadie. Yes, Eben was making wine for Charles Back and living on the Spice Route farm since 1998 (Charles Back bought it in 1996). Now you'd be forgiven for confusing Spice Route, the wine farm, with Spice Route, the destination in Paarl, which is like Disneyland for wine, complete with artisanal chocolate and craft beer {I like Disneyland}. Spice Route wines are serious Swartland wines, and Charl du Plessis is a quintessential Swartlander, more blood and sweat than tears. Charles Back, of course, is the mastermind behind everything and was named Winemaking Legend of the Year by Tim Atkin MW in 2021. He first conceived the idea of a quintessential Swartland blend of hardy Mediterranean varieties well-suited to the harsh climate- and the Chakalaka is the result of that. An ambassador of the Swartland, Zulu meaning 'togetherness,' and also a popular spice that represents the fusion of cultures in South Africa - the Chakalaka is many things. I remember Charl saying that this was the wine he was proudest of, as a true reflection of place.
This is a big wine, at 15% alcohol, but knowing the man and the place, it's honest, and given that they sent it with chorizo and spice, you get the picture. Go big or go home!
