Lokaia

Three Exciting New Wines From Lokaia – Tasting the 2022 Releases…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Few new winemaking projects reach the characterful quality heights and consumer cult status of Lokaia after only three vintages of production. But this is a very special collaboration between Craig McNaught of Stony Brook and Clayton Reabow of Môreson.

Certainly not a run of the mill style of winery, Lokaia is credited with producing some of the most exciting and individual wines in the Franschhoek Valley in recent years with their hallmarks being vibrant, fresh, early picked fruit fermented on their skins in amphorae in order to express their individual terroirs.

Lokaia produce exciting, innovative, nervy wines that are certainly very much ‘new wave’ in many respects but which also keep one eye firmly on a classical Old-World aesthetic.

Lokaia Pound of Flesh Semillon 2022, WO Franschhoek, 10.5% Abv.

The small production boutique Pound of Flesh Semillon made from Stony Brook vineyards in the Bo-Hoek area of Franschhoek has been one of the truly great new release white revelations of the past two to three years in South Africa. This cultivar is in its terroir home in the Franschhoek Valley and simply excels there, showing intense aromatics of white peaches, lime peel, lemon grass, freshly cut Granny Smith apples with complexing hints of white blossom, dried herbs, wet hay, lanolin and intricate mineral notes of crushed gravel. The palate is equally enticing, showing incredible fruit concentration as well as a piercing glassy acidity, all concertinaed into a very taut, tight, linear but explosive package. With the amphorae winemaking and early picked freshness and purity, the Pound of Flesh Semillon represents a sublime expression of nervy, crystalline white wine with an enviable vibrancy and precision. If you missed the earlier vintages, do not miss this inspiring 2022 release. Drink now and over the next 5 to 8+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Lokaia Sandman Chardonnay 2022, WO Franschhoek, 12.5% Abv.

Another high-flying category in South Africa along with Semillon, Chardonnay also happens to be a cultivar that performs exceptionally well in the Franschhoek Valley and the grapes for this impressive 2022 Sandman Chardonnay are sourced from the vineyards of white wine focused Môreson winery where Lokaia co-owner Clayton Reabow is head winemaker. The previous vintages of this wine have been likened to drinking premium Premier Cru Chablis Chardonnay and this fabulous 2022 follows a similar stylistic aesthetic boasting a nutty, white citrus fruit laden aromatics with intricate nuances of dried herbs, wet chalk, waxy lemon peel, salted pistachios, melted honey and subtle salty oyster shell and granitic mineral spice layers over leesy savoury notes. On the palate, the acidity is fresh and pronounced, becoming another key foundation block of the harmoniously taut, classically structured, liquid mineral finish. Yet again, this is an incredibly striking expression of Chardonnay that will certainly delight the purists. Drink on release and over the next 3 to 5+ years.

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

Lokaia Call of the Void Cabernet Franc 2022, WO Franschhoek, 10% Abv.

Always electrically intense and bright, this is another benchmark expression of exceptional Cabernet Franc, with its pristine aromatics of purple flowers, violets, rock candy and sweet lily. In the modern world, this is an undoubtedly taut, tight expression of Cabernet Franc with the palate breadth and depth, expansive and profound, showing complex smoky cranberry and red cherry nuances. This incredibly mineral, ethereal expression is simple class, strutting its shoulders and plumping its chest while acknowledging the finer, fresher aspects of the wine. This is undoubtedly the finest expression of Lokaia Cabernet Franc to date and from first taste, and you know you are in for a profound taste adventure when you approach the 2022. Drink now and over the next 8 to 10 years.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Lokaia wines are imported into the UK by Museum Wines.

Lokaia Wines – A Project Exploring the Exotic Side of the Franschhoek Ward: Tasting Their Pound of Flesh Semillon 2021…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Clayton Reabow of Môreson and Craig McNaught of Stony Brook winery are the winemakers behind this new head-turning Franschhoek-based label and the owners of the Lokaia brand. It was their belief that there was more to explore in the potential of the Franschhoek Valley with varieties like Semillon, Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc that led to an exciting new range of wines. With second vintages of all three wines hitting the market both in South Africa and further afield, it seems the hype and excitement around the wines has been well founded.

The name “Lokaia” is derived from Ole Lukøje, the title of a fairy tale by author Hans Christian Andersen about the God of Dreams, and I’m sure neither Clayton nor Craig could have imagined the level of acclaim to which their three new wines would be received by markets, both locally in South Africa and internationally.

I really loved the electric early picked freshness on the whites and the purity and precision on their Cabernet Franc red. The market, as a whole, is so often top heavy with ripe, alcoholic, fruit bomb wines that sometimes fine wine lovers of elegance, tension, purity and freshness at lower alcohol levels are often forgotten about. But thankfully Clayton and Craig have created a tight range of wines that ticks so many boxes while also playing to the strengths of their local Franschhoek terroirs.

Such is the popularity of these wines and the instant following (and small production) that all three new releases sell out instantly on release in the local market. So worth looking out for these in the UK and further afield while they are still slightly less well known! It’s certainly not going to last!

Lokaia Pound of Flesh 2021, WO Bo-Hoek, Franschhoek, 10.5% Abv.

This impressive wine comes from a vineyard planted in 1995 on the Stony Brook farm in the Bo-Hoek area of Franschhoek. Despite its ultra-crystalline clear translucent colour, the wine saw a small amount of skin contact in the press before an extra four months ageing in stainless steel. There is an alluring dusty, stony mineral aromatic character on the attractive nose before more complex notes of lemon grass, lime peel, white pear, green herbs and lemon pastille emerge. At 10.5% Abv. the wine is impressively ample and ripe with taut textural layers of tart peach stone fruits, wet river pebble minerality and lime cordial, all framed by a steely, intense, glassy acidity that has more in common with Australia’s tart, dry Hunter Valley expressions than the more generous, glycerol, lanolin and lemon fruited expressions we are more used to from Franschhoek’s famous old vine vineyards. Like Lokaia’s other wines, this is another super classy expression that will seduce the fussiest of Old World fine wine aficionados. Drink from release and over the next 8 to 10+ years.

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

Lokaia Wines – A Project Exploring the Exotic Side of the Franschhoek Ward: Tasting Their New Chardonnay 2020…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Clayton Reabow of Môreson and Craig McNaught of Stony Brook winery are the winemakers behind this new innovative Franschhoek-based label and the owners of the Lokaia brand. It was their belief that there was more to explore in the potential of the Franschhoek Valley with varieties like Semillon, Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc that led to a new exciting range of wines.

The name “Lokaia” is derived from Ole Lukøje, the title of a fairy tale by author Hans Christian Andersen about the God of Dreams, and I’m sure neither Clayton nor Craig could have imagined (or dreamt) the level of acclaim to which their two new whites and one red wine would be received by the market, both locally in South Africa and internationally.

Track these exciting wines down. They are very well made, offer classical fine wine drinking pleasure and are something just a little bit different to the mainstream offerings on the market. (Available in the UK through importer Museum Wines)

Lokaia The Sandman Valley Floor Amphora Chardonnay 2020, WO Franschhoek, 12% Abv.

Made from from a Chardonnay vineyard located at Môreson winery located on the Franschhoek valley floor, this is certainly a characterful and dynamic Chardonnay that is impressive on multiple levels. The aromatics are pure and stony, alluring, boasting complex notes of dried green baking herbs, white citrus zest and waxy lemon peel nuances. Considering its meagre but refreshing 12% alcohol, the wine shows impressive mouthfeel and texture, a lovely liquid minerality, hints of limestone and oyster shell, lemon pith and green pear. Despite the fermentation and subsequent maceration on its skins for two months in a 500 litre clay amphora, this wine shows clarity and poise, zippy fresh acids and a real sense of confidence, purity and harmony. Comparisons to 1er Cru Chablis will be inevitable but that is hardly a negative. A wonderfully skilful wine that breaks with tradition! Drink now to 2026+.

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

Lokaia Wines – A Project Exploring the Exotic Side of the Franschhoek Ward…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The great thing about the wine trade is that whatever side of the fence you work, whether producing, buying or selling, everyday beckons new discoveries and new experiences. Clayton Reabow and Craig McNaught are the winemakers behind this new innovative Franschhoek-based label and for the owners of the Lokaia brand, it was exactly this driving force that led them to believe that there was more to explore in the potential of the Franschhoek Valley with varieties like Semillon, Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc at the forefront of their endeavours.

Clayton has been behind the wheel of Franschhoek’s Moreson winery for fourteen years and counts both the Diner’s Club Young Winemaker of the Year and Winemaker of the Year awards among his many accolades. Craig on the other hand is the second-generation winemaker and co-owner of Stony Brook Vineyards in Franschhoek’s Bo-Hoek region and his focus for many years has been on producing traditional, old-world influenced wines with the Lokaia project affording him the opportunity “to delve in to the postmodern.”

The Lokaia range includes a Semillon from Franschhoek’s Bo-Hoek, a Chardonnay from the Franschhoek Valley Floor and a Cabernet Franc from the Dutoitskop Peak grown on sandstone and clay soils. All three wines are vinified with a strong emphasis on the use of Terracotta amphora that allow the wines to breath and evolve slowly with out any oak influence. Each wine also has a varying degree of skin contact during and post fermentation.

Lokaia Call of the Void Dutoitskop Peak Amphora Cabernet Franc 2020, WO Franschhoek, 11.98% Abv.

1.1 g/l RS | 5.9 g/l TA | 3.24 pH

This unique Cabernet Franc expression was fermented and matured on its skins for four months in amphora yielding a meagre production of a mere 530 bottles. Produced in a more natural leaning style that is unfined and unfiltered, the aromatics yield an intriguing expression of crushed leaves, grey slate, green coffee beans, black tea, spicy green peppercorns, sweet cedar and a freshly cut hedgerow spice. On the palate, the theme of cool sapidity and minerality continues with notes of wet river pebble minerality, tart black currants, sweet and sour black berries, crunchy bright acids and a long, tangy fresh finish that is deliciously mouth-watering. The energetic freshness makes this an attractively easy to drink red, yet beneath the wine’s slightly obvious, linear, fruity veneer lie multiple layers that genuinely challenge the senses. Despite the super low alcohol, the wine possesses an impressively fleshy, glycerol texture, soft powdery stony tannins and a long glassy, crystalline finish. Drink on release and over the next 3 to 5+ years.

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