Faure

The Vergenoegd Löw Estate (previously the Vergenoegd Estate) along with the Meerlust Estate and Winshaw Vineyards form a magical trio of unique coastal Stellenbosch terroirs capable of producing some of the most captivating Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blends in the entire Cape. Historically famous for their old Cabernet Sauvignons from the 1960s and 1970s, the previous owners of Vergenoegd Estate, the Faure family, released their first Bordeaux blend in 1993 and this third release 1995 vintage was offered to the South African market in late 1997 / early 1998. I recently cracked one of my last four bottles to see how this 30 year old classic was holding up. Stored in a temperature controlled cellar since purchase, this bottle was in pristine condition. But of course, with older vintages, there is no such thing as a great wine merely great bottles. My three remaining bottles have even higher ullages implying they could be even better. Only time will tell.

Vergenoegd Estate Wine Reserve 1995, WO Stellenbosch, 13.01% Abv.

A classical blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, this 30 year old wine is holding up beautifully, showing impressively fragrant herbal aromatics of sage, bay leaf, dried violets, fynbos and green tea before hints of raisined cranberry, stewed black cherries and red currants. Opened and allowed to breath for 2-3 hours without decanting, there is a real vibrancy to the wine, one that I have grown accustomed to from some of South Africa’s old red grandes vins.

No rush after pulling the cork! Indeed it’s only after 3+ hours that the splendour of the milk chocolate and peppermint crisp nuances start to show on the nose and palate. The texture is clearly dense, glycerol and textured, the tannins spicy and fine grained now like a well brewed cup of black tea, but underpinned by bright acids and a subtle graphite minerality. A dense classy 1995 that is maybe plateauing but there’s certainly no rush to drink up last bottles.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Mick and Jeanine Craven of Craven Wines have been creating some deliciously contemporary wines from single vineyards in one of South Africa’s oldest and grandest appellations, Stellenbosch. Wines are confidently modern and ‘new-wave’ in style, picking early and often using whole-bunch fruit in the natural fermentations. Their Pinot Noir is made from grapes grown in Faure, Stellenbosch and is consistently one of their most popular reds. Before she was a Craven, she was Jeanine Faure and the 650 hectare Faure farm was previously part of Jeanine’s family holdings where she grew up.

450 of the 650 hectares are planted to vines where Mick and Jeanine currently source their Syrah and Pinot Noir grapes. The Faure Pinot Noir block is one of the coolest sites in Stellenbosch on a south-westerly aspect only 4 kilometres away from the ocean and was planted exclusively with clone 115 in 1998 on decomposed granite and sand.

Stellenbosch is not an area synonymous with Pinot Noir, and outside of Meerlust’s excellent example, most people would probably struggle to name more than one or two more wineries successfully making notable wines from this variety. Mick and Jeanine have blazed their own trail and their own style of early picked, sappy, spicy, crunchy Stellenbosch Pinot Noir that should taste decidedly Burgundian once it is aged in bottle for 5 to 6 years.

Craven Wines Faure Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016, WO Stellenbosch, 12 Abv.

A Pinot Noir definitely made in a “less is more kind of style”. The distinctive nose shows sappy red raspberry fruits, raisined cranberries, pithy strawberry, wet chalk, crushed gravel, resinous wood and stalk spice and complex dried flower notes. Whole bunch pressed, the 2016 was also 70% foot trodden leaving some grapes intact. The palate walks lightly buts carries plenty of concentration and sappy, strawberry and raspberry fruit weight dusted with exotic Asian spice complexity. I’ve seen this wine described before as atypical or sometimes idiosyncratic, but I find the purity impressively focused, classically charming with a mouthfeel delicately textured revealing dusty chalky tannins. Made in an earlier picked style, this slightly sinewy bramble berry fruited wine is a really characterful cracker. Drink now and over the next 3 to 5+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)