The premium Terre Paisible winery project in the Franschhoek Valley gathers pace and with consulting winemaker Adam Mason with his hand firmly on the rudder, this is definitely a winery brand to watch. With grapes for their Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay sourced from their own premium vineyards in the valley, quality has been steadily heading upwards.
Their 2021 Chardonnay was an impressively Burgundian-styled cool climate expression garnering numerous global accolades. Likewise, Adam’s super suave 2021 red Cape Bordeaux blend made from bought in fruit from several premium sites from around Stellenbosch, bears testament to the incredible quality of the 2021 vintage. I had a snapshot tasting of the full unfinished range in South Africa in March with Adam but recently tasted the below completed pair of wines in London, including the follow up 2022 Chardonnay Vigne d’Or.
Terre Paisible Vigne d’Or Chardonnay 2022, WO Franschhoek, 13% Abv.
The Terre Paisible Vigne d’Or Chardonnay 2022 is a distinctive assemblage of grapes all from their own Franschhoek Valley vineyards, fermented and matured for 9 months in 500 litre neutral French oak barrels. The aromatics offer up expressive notes of white flowers, pickled cucumber, baked Golden Delicious apples, warm custard, and Key Lime pie together with subtle salted caramel and grapefruit confit nuances. On the palate the oaking is sympathetic and beautifully integrated allowing crystalline lemon and lime fruit notes to shine through. The wine has impressive concentration and a focused fruit intensity which is caressed by fresh tangy acids and a delicately pithy mineral finish. This is an exceptionally well-made wine that stylistically marries the best notions of white Burgundy with the opulence of a Californian-styled Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. Drink it on release and over 3 to 5 years.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Terre Paisible Vigne d’Or Red Blend 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.
Consultant winemaker Adam Mason (of Klein Constantia fame) certainly got the opportunity to flex his winemaking expertise with this new release from one of the greatest Cape vintages in the past two decades, and this 2021 Terre Paisible Red Blend surely stands as one of the most exciting new red wines from the Cape in recent years. This noble expression draws on the finest fruit from the Stellenbosch region to deliver a fragrant expression with lifted aromatics of crème de cassis, pressed violets, potpourri, cherry tobacco, and sweet plums with hints of sappy cedar spice. Dense and generous but supple in the mouth, this wine shows an incredibly layered texture with a fresh seamless core of salted plums, blueberry, and black currant, all energised by a crisp, vibrant acidity and a sleek, powdery mineral tannin mouthfeel that’s polished and suitably tight knit. Simply wonderful to witness such inspired winemaking in an iconic vintage like 2021. Drink on release but preferably over the next 5 to 12+ years. A real triumph from Adam Mason.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)