Paardeberg

The New Release Old Vine Swartland Single Vineyard Wines from Jasper Wickens – Tasting His Tiernes Chenin Blanc and Wolwekop Semillon from 2023…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

There are now so many famous names producing incredible red and white wines in the Swartland. The region has gone well and truly global with trade wine buyers and fine wine collectors snapping up the top offerings, all of which are now becoming quite tightly allocated. While most of the “young gun” growers and Swartland “Rhone Rangers” are now heading into their 50s, Jasper Wickens still represents a younger generation of vignerons that are pushing the boundaries of quality and terroir vintage after vintage.

Every new release from Jasper is eye opening and head turning, as collectors and enthusiasts are increasingly seduced by his wine’s incredible quality at still very modest prices – a true rarity in the world of collectable fine wines. Of all Jasper’s wines, no new releases are more anticipated that his old vine 1982 Chenin Blanc and 1963 Semillon. I recently tasted Jasper’s 2023 releases along side his 2023 Swerwer Chenin Blanc. I was not disappointed!

JC Wickens Swerwer Chenin Blanc 2023, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.

2023 was an incredibly concentrated and power packed vintage in the Swartland especially for white wines and this Chenin Blanc from Jasper Wickens is a super charged classic. The aromatics are supremely rich and expressive, laced with wet straw, white peach, clementine and tangerine fruits over subtle honied lemon tea notes. The white peach and tangerine fruits continue on the palate that shows impressive concentration alongside a vibrant freshness, all harmoniously interwoven together with incredible purity and precision. At this price, this is a must buy Chenin! Drink now to 2034+.

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

JC Wickens Wolwekop Single Vineyard Old Vine Semillon 2023, WO Swartland, 12.5% Abv.

Tasting the big-name premium producers of the Swartland has become a lucrative business for some of the world’s leading wine critics with no shortage of big scores being bestowed on said wines. However, almost all of them are guilty of merely paying lip service to the great single vineyard Old Vine wines of Jasper Wickens, most notably his Wolwekop Semillon that is harvested from a special vineyard that was planted in 1963 and which offers up, vintage after vintage, incredibly detailed, intense, focused, fresh Semillon whites that rival and often surpass anything produced in South Africa. Jasper is of course on a stellar run being awarded 97/100 for his eye catching 2021 and 96/100 for his deliciously accomplished 2022.

This 2023 turns the volume up once again and delivers a most melodious expression of this noble cultivar. Bright crystalline yellow gold in the glass, the aromatics of this new release are incredibly pure, fresh and focused showing notes of lemon grass, waxy lemon peel, white peach and hints of green apple all underpinned by a wonderfully dusty decomposed Granite Paardeberg minerality. With more in common with fresher vintages, there are no oily, lanolin nuances yet but rather fresher lemon and lime white citrus characters, Japanese green tea and a crystalline brightness with pinpoint purity. Seamless and harmonious in the mouth, the sleek lemon citrus intensity is pure and bright, supported by an incredibly well integrated tangy acidity that adds frame and definition to the long, stony, mineral finish. The oak influence is imperceptible and the focus and carry on the finish is mouthwatering and moreish. A fabulous wine that underlines the concentration and fruit power of the 2023 vintage in the Swartland. Drink from 2026 to 2038+.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

JC Wickens Tiernes Single Vineyard Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2023, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.

The wonderful thing about an accomplished old vine cuvee like Tiernes is its sheer depth, intensity and presence. Imposing in the glass, this 2023 shows all the muscle and flesh neighbour Eben Sadie was so profusive about with his entire range of old vine whites and reds from 2023. The aromatics simply soar like an eagle – plush, complex and packed full of waxy lemon and white citrus, white peach, dried herbs, and intense savoury leesy nuances. The palate is rich but classically restrained, reined in by a fresh tangy acidity that frames an incredibly broad, fleshy, expansive mouthfeel that is also incredibly focused, harmonious, and seamless, yet wonderfully effusive, showing dried peach, quince, and garrigue spice, before the archetypal wet stone granitic minerality closes out the finish. The clear standout elements of most top 2023 Paardeberg whites are their muscle, fruit power, and understated depth and intensity. Not in a loud and shouty style, nor in a big and brash manner – this wine simply strolls into the room silently and commands your attention. What not to love about an old vine Paardeberg Chenin Blanc from such a distinguished single vineyard? This is undoubtedly a wine to seek out and buy on release. Drink from 2026 to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Jasper Wickens wines are imported into the UK by specialist South African merchant Museum Wines. Single vineyard wines sell for £150 IB per 6 on release.

A Selection of Talented Jasper Wickens Swartland 2021 and 2022 Vintages Tasted and Assessed…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 2 Comments

While noise around the Swartland region and its many cult wines seems to be subsiding somewhat, as long as rock star producers like Eben Sadie, Adi Badenhorst, David & Nadia and Chris and Andrea Mullineux keep releasing high scoring whites and reds, wine critics will remain fixated on this versatile region.

But not everyone making iconic wines in the Swartland attempts to steal the wine headlines at every opportunity. One such talent is Jasper Wickens, who along with his wife Franziskia, is creating some of the most profound wines from fruit grown on their Waterval farm in the Paardeberg, next door to both Eben and Adi. With Jasper’s new 2023 vintages landing on my doorstep today, I thought I’d set the scene for my upcoming 2023 vintage reviews of Tiernes and Wolwekop with a compilations of some unreleased back vintage notes.

Jasper in one of his Chenin Blanc Vineyards at Waterval farm.

JC Wickens Swerwer Chenin Blanc 2022, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.

After the long, cool harvest of 2021, 2022 reverted back to more “normal” conditions with several heatwaves taking place during the early season in the Swartland forcing some wineries to harvest grapes perhaps a little sooner than they normally would have in order to preserve acidity. The Chenin Blanc grapes in this 2022 are all grown on deep decomposed Granite soils and offer up classical Swartland notes of wet hay, wet stone minerality, dried baking herbs, white peaches, orange blossom and pithy white citrus and pear fruit characteristics. With its impressively low, cool alcohol level of only 12.5%, the palate displays a light touch balance and elegance with cool, savoury peach notes, quince, and tangy apple puree. The acids are soft, well integrated, but bright and pithy and the finish stony and mineral with a certain degree of phenolic grip. A delicious wine with purity and precision that is ready to drink on release and over the next 6 to 8+ years.

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

JC Wickens Swerwer Shiraz 2022, WO Swartland, 14% Abv.

A seductively dark purple black plum colour in the glass, this attractive Syrah is made from Paardeberg grapes from the Wickens Waterval Farm grown on 100% decomposed Granite soils. 100% whole-bunch fermented, the aromatics on the 2022 are perfumed and lifted showing red and black berries, violets, lavender, hints of cranberry and pomegranate with delicately complexing notes of fynbos, crushed gravel and kalamata olives. In the mouth the wine is medium bodied but beautifully sleek, soft, and harmonious with silky fine grained chalky tannins, mouthwatering tangy acids and a long, succulent berry fruited finish. So enjoyable to drink in its youth with its fabulous generosity of fruit, vibrancy, and accessible structure. Drink on release to 2034+.

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

Tiernes Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc planted in 1982.

JC Wickens Tiernes Single Vineyard Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2022, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.

The Tiernes vineyard planted in 1982 is very special indeed, overlooking the whole Waterval Farm of Francisca and Jasper Wickens from the top of the hill. With the vines grown on some of the deepest decomposed granite soils on the farm, the old vine Chenin Blanc grapes yield an incredibly complex and intense wine with aromatics packed with crushed rocks minerality, rain on granite boulders, lemon grass, grated lemon and lime peel, and delicate quince jelly notes. The palate is wonderfully intense and crystalline with real verve and vigour, a fruit purity of note with a chiselled mouthfeel of tart limes, fresh fennel, white peach, and yellow grapefruit pith. The concentration is slightly lighter and more ethereal than the 2021 but the purity and refinement are unmatched. The single vineyard Tiernes is undoubtedly one of the most profound Chenin Blanc expressions produced in the Swartland and a wine every fine wine collector should follow and buy. Drink on release and over the next 10+ years.

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

JC Wickens Wolwekop Single Vineyard Old Vine Semillon 2021, WO Swartland, 12.5% Abv.

The back label of the Wolwekop simply states… “a pure expression of Semillon, Granite and Nature.” Well, if you didn’t have time to read a full tasting note, this would succinctly sum up the exceptional quality of this delicious terroir driven Old Vine Semillon sourced from a majestic Swartland vineyard planted in 1963. The long, cool, atypical 2021 vintage needs no introduction, already being well regarded and widely lauded as one of the best vintages in the Cape in the past decade. From a Zalto Universal glass the aromatics are notably lean, mineral and overtly stony, revealing a relatively shy bouquet, but once transferred to a bigger Burgundy bowl glass, the wine explodes into life offering up fragrant notes of savoury waxy lemon peel, lanolin, fennel root, lemon herbal tea and subtle beeswax notes before a pronounced wave of crushed gravel and dusty granitic minerality follow. The palate is equally complex and beguiling, featuring a bold spicy mineral laden glycerol palate with wet stone minerality, bergamot, green melon, yellow apples, and tart yellow quince that’s beautifully framed by bright, searing crystalline acids before a dried herb laden finish with a delicately nutty, almond skin nuance. Packed with energy, focus and drive, this must surely be a wine Jasper is very proud of. Drink now on releases and over the next 10 to 12+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

JC Wickens Wolwekop Single Vineyard Old Vine Semillon 2022, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.

After the high scoring 97/100 point benchmark Wolwekop 2021, Jasper Wickens has pulled a little more magic out the bag to produce yet another enticing Semillon offering in 2022. A golden yellow colour, the wine displays a complex aromatics of pithy lemon citrus, leesy lemon biscuits, buttered white toast, brewed green tea, lemon grass, honey and delicate green herb nuances. Full and fleshy in the mouth, there is a clear harmony and balance punctuated by a stony granitic minerality supported by well-integrated acids and a pithy, peach stone fruit strand with peppery, sappy, lanolin hints. Another Old Vine masterclass from Jasper. Drink now to 2035+.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Jasper Wickens Swerwer wines are imported into the UK by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines.

Swartland Winemaking Talent Jasper Wickens Continues to Spin His Magic in the Paardeberg – Tasting a Trio of 2022 Swerwer New Releases…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Jasper Wickens and his wife, Franziska Wickens (néé Schreiber), who is the third generation of a Swartland farming family in the Siebritskloof Valley in the Paardeberg, make a formidable winemaking team. Together, they are responsible for some of the most breathtaking wines currently being produced in the Swartland, made from premium quality grapes grown on Franziska’s substantial Waterval farm.

The true potential of many of their top old vine sites was undoubtedly matched by some incredibly high quality wines in the long, cool, atypical 2021 harvest. But never one to rest on his laurels, Jasper has recently released another stunning array of wines from the more “normal” 2022 vintage conditions, and I got to taste and review a selection of these wines in London. 

JC Wickens Swerwer Chenin Blanc 2022, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.

After the long, cool harvest of 2021, 2022 reverted back to more “normal” conditions with several heatwaves taking place during the early season in the Swartland forcing some wineries to harvest grapes perhaps a little sooner than they normally would have in order to preserve acidity. The Chenin Blanc grapes in this 2022 are all grown on deep decomposed Granite soils and offer up classical Swartland notes of wet hay, wet stone minerality, dried baking herbs, white peaches, orange blossom and pithy white citrus and pear fruit characteristics. With its impressively low, cool alcohol level of only 12.5%, the palate displays a light touch balance and elegance with cool, savoury peach notes, quince, and tangy apple puree. The acids are soft, well integrated, but bright and pithy and the finish stony and mineral with a certain degree of phenolic grip. A delicious wine with purity and precision that is ready to drink on release and over the next 6 to 8+ years.

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

JC Wickens Swerwer Shiraz 2022, WO Swartland, 14% Abv.

A seductively dark purple black plum colour in the glass, this attractive Syrah is made from Paardeberg grapes from the Wickens Waterval Farm grown on 100% decomposed Granite soils. 100% whole-bunch fermented, the aromatics on the 2022 are perfumed and lifted showing red and black berries, violets, lavender, hints of cranberry and pomegranate with delicately complexing notes of fynbos, crushed gravel and kalamata olives. In the mouth the wine is medium bodied but beautifully sleek, soft, and harmonious with silky fine grained chalky tannins, mouthwatering tangy acids and a long, succulent berry fruited finish. So enjoyable to drink in its youth with its fabulous generosity of fruit, vibrancy, and accessible structure. Drink on release to 2034.

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

JC Wickens Tiernes Chenin Blanc 2022, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.

The Tiernes vineyard planted in 1982 is very special indeed, overlooking the whole Waterval Farm of Francisca and Jasper Wickens from the top of the hill. With the vines grown on some of the deepest decomposed granite soils on the farm, the old vine Chenin Blanc grapes yield an incredibly complex and intense wine with aromatics packed with crushed rocks minerality, rain on granite boulders, lemon grass, grated lemon and lime peel, and delicate quince jelly notes. The palate is wonderfully intense and crystalline with real verve and vigour, a fruit purity of note with a chiselled mouthfeel of tart limes, fresh fennel, white peach, and yellow grapefruit pith. The concentration is slightly lighter and more ethereal than the 2021 but the purity and refinement are unmatched. The single vineyard Tiernes is undoubtedly one of the most profound Chenin Blanc expressions produced in the Swartland and a wine every fine wine collector should follow and buy. Drink on release and over the next 10+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The wines of Jasper Wickens are imported into the UK exclusively by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines.

Jasper Wickens Muscles His Way Into the Leading Pack of Top Syrah – Shiraz Producers in the Swartland…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Jasper Wickens and his viticulturist wife, Franziska Wickens, live and make wine on her family farm, Waterval (Waterfall), in the very heart of the Swartland. Neighbouring some of South Africa’s most sought-after Swartland producers in the Siebritskloof Valley on the northern side of the Paardeberg, they are in the proverbial thick of it with people like Adi Badenhorst, Jasper’s previous employer on Kalmoesfontein, Eben Sadie on Rotsvas, and David & Nadia Sadie.

The Paardeberg, with its 500-million-year-old magma and the resulting domes of granite and microclimates, makes for an intriguing winegrowing terroir. The different soil types, specifically decomposed granite, offer a freshness unique to the Valley to both whites and reds – something the whole wine-drinking world has started cottoning on to. With an unusually cool and slow ripening vintage like 2021, Jasper Wickens has produced some of his most profound wines yet.

Jasper’s Waterval farm wine cellar in the Paardeberg.
Tasting new vintages with Jasper in March 2023.

At a recent tasting, I caught up with famous wine critic Dr Jamie Goode from the Wineanorak.com and shared a bottle of the latest release Swerwer 2021 Shiraz from Jasper. We were all suitably impressed.

JC Wickens Swerwer Shiraz 2021, WO Swartland, 13.5% Abv.

The Swartland is a warm, dry grape growing environment which makes this beautiful new release Shiraz 2021 from Jasper Wickens all the more remarkable. A bright vibrant ruby red colour, the expressive aromatics simply burst out of the glass, teasing the senses with incredibly intense, pure floral aromatics of violets, cherry blossom and rose petals that melt into pristine notes of sweet red cherries, tart red plums together with hints of cranberry and wild strawberry. The subtle notions of white pepper and salty red liquorice follow to the exquisitely elegant tight-knit palate that displays wonderful freshness and energy, drawing on the cooler vintage conditions of 2021 to offer up such impressive purity and precision matched by a deft pinpoint structure. The finish is delightfully cool, mineral and restrained delivering a deliciously focused raspberry and cherry fruited saline persistence that will definitely lure you back again and again for another sip. A truly noteworthy expression of Swerwer Shiraz. Drink on release and over the next 6 to 8+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The JC Wickens Swerwer wines are imported and distributed in the UK by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines.

Naude Family Wines Builds On the Recent Judgement of Wimbledon Pronouncement with the Official Release of their Grenache 2020…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

It was great catching up with Ian Naude from Naude Family Wines in London at the end of June 2023 to taste his superb new red releases including the 2017 Werfdans Cinsault (97/100 GSMW), his Oupa Willem Heritage Red Blend 2020 (96+/100 GSMW), as well as his delicious new Grenache 2020 (96/100 GSMW). It was of course his Grenache 2020 that featured in the Top 5 wines in the epic blind Judgement of Wimbledon Tasting 2023 earlier this year, within a lineup of the greatest new release Grenache wines money can buy.

An annual Grenache celebration, the Judgement of Wimbledon results came out a few weeks before the official South African release of the Grenache 2020. With this wine newly landed in the UK market, I thought it was appropriate to revisit this impressive cult wine from Ian Naude. On my recent visit to the Cape in March 2023, I finally paid my first visit to this mythical Agter-Paardeberg vineyard that was planted in 2004.

The Agter-Paardeberg Swartland Grenache vineyard planted in 2004.

Located just behind the back entrance of Eben Sadie’s winery, these Grenache vines are only just down the road from the oldest Grenache vineyard in South Africa, vines planted on Adi Badenhorst’s Kalmoesfontein farm located next door to Eben Sadie. While Ian’s vineyard is not yet an old vine certified vineyard, it is certainly one of the “future old vine sites” that organisations like the Old Vine Project hope will reach a healthy old age in years to come.

Picked in small crates approximately three weeks before other winemakers who contract other parts of the same vineyard, the wine was fermented naturally with a combination of whole bunches, destemmed grapes and some added back stalks. Using one or two pump overs per day, the wine was left for approximately two weeks before being pressed and transferred into 225 litre old French oak barrels for approximately 12 to 15 months before bottling.

Naude Family Wines Grenache 2020, WO Swartland, 11% Abv.

1.8g/l RS | 5.8g/l TA | 3.33pH

Attractively light and ethereal in colour, the nose of the 2020 Grenache shows delightful, sweet, sappy red berry fruits, cool crunchy red cherries, earthy red plums, bramble berries and grated red apple skin nuances. The palate is taut, linear and rapier fresh with liquid laser beams, maritime salinity and a tart yet deliciously mouth-watering salty minerality. This is fine wine elegance with extreme precision and crystalline classical power all delivered so deftly. A really exceptional expression of Paardeberg / Swartland Grenache the can rival the very best from Gredos in Spain. Drink on release and over the next 8 to 15+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Naudé Family Wines are imported into the UK by fine wine specialist Museum Wines and the Grenache 2020 retails for circa £42pb.

Tasting a Beautiful Pair of Wines from the Jasper Wickens Swerwer Range…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Jasper Wickens started working with Adi Badenhorst at the Kalmoesfontein property in the Paardeberg in 2009 and was a central character in the whole Swartland Revolution movement. As the dynamic Swartland movement gathered pace, Jasper met his now wife, Franziska Wickens (néé Schreiber), who is the third generation of a Swartland farming family in the Siebritskloof Valley in the Paardeberg and studied viticulture at Elsenberg with a focus on cellar management. Their relationship grew at a similar pace to the popularity of the Swartland’s red and white wines and were finally married in 2016 on Franziska’s Waterval farm.

Exactly 10 years after he first moved to the Paardeberg, Jasper completed his final harvest at AA Badenhorst Family Wines in 2018 as he prepared to move full time into the repurposed wine cellar at his Waterval farm next door to focus on his own Swerwer range that was established back in 2012 with the sole purpose of creating authentic “wines of place” that represented the true essence of their local terroirs. Franziska owns and manages extensive family vineyard plantings and now supplies some of the most sought after Swartland grapes to producers such as JH Meyer, AA Badenhorst, Blacksmith Wines, Paul Jordaan’s Bosberaad, John Seccombe, Samantha Suddons’ Vinevenom label and Martin Lamprecht’s Marras label.

Jasper’s Swerwer range is now quite extensive and includes, among others, a Chenin Blanc, an old vine skin contact Tiernes Chenin Blanc, a Semillon Gris, as well as reds made from Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Tinta Barocca and Touriga Nacional. Jasper is undoubtedly making some of the most exciting wines in the Swartland that will surely become a lot harder to buy as his reputation for quality continues to grow year by year. So if you haven’t tasted the wines from his Swerwer range yet, the Chenin Blanc and his Red Blend made from Cinsault, Grenache, and Tinta Barocca are the perfect place to start your discovery. Jasper is definitely a Swartland producer to follow closely.

JC Wickens Swerwer Chenin Blanc 2020, WO Swartland, 13.5% Abv.

This is another beautifully expressive Chenin Blanc from warm granitic mountain slopes in the Swartland region. Jasper and Franziska Wickens own and farm some truly profound vineyards in the Paardeberg area and this Chenin Blanc is a classically styled steely white shaped by its decomposed granitic terroir. The aromatics are cool and supremely mineral with layers of crushed gravel, dried green herbs, oatmeal biscuits, lemon rind, yellow orchard fruits and sweet wet hay nuances. The palate reveals lovely textural tension and fruit / acid intensity without losing any elegance and precision, showing plenty of pineapple pastille, bruised yellow orchard fruits, wet river pebble minerality and a pithy, leesy finish. This is a wine that speaks volumes of its origin, expresses its unique terroir and seduces the drinker in doing so. There are many far more expensive Swartland Chenin Blancs on the market but few which reach this level of complexity and palate-appeal for a similar price. Drink now and over the next 5 to 8 years.

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

The Cinsault and Grenache were sourced from vineyards growing on well drained, granite soils. Cinsault was often known as the workhorse variety and of the rare Grenache only very few old vineyards remain. Tinta Barocca has proved itself in the Swartland already for decades and completes this traditional blend. Here it is sourced from a warmer clay–rich vineyard.

JC Wickens Swerwer Red Blend 2020, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.

An eclectic blend of Cinsault, Grenache, and Tinta Barocca make for a truly delicious Swartland red blend. The deep, dark aromatic base notes of the Grenache and Tinta Barocca are raised out the glass by the delicate rose petal perfumed lift of the Cinsault before more complex notes of cured meats, bramble berries, red cherries, cola, and Turkish delight come to the fore. The palate is both compact, concentrated, and sleek but also wonderfully light on its feet, enlivened by a mouth-watering red berry acidity, hints of cranberry, wild strawberry and smoky, meaty charcuterie savoury nuances. This certainly is a very impressive versatile red that can be sipped on its own or paired with almost any food dishes. Jasper Wickens is truly a master craftsman and this fabulous red is a tribute to his winemaking skills. Drink now and over the next 3 to 5+ years.

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

Wines available in the UK through Museum Wines.

https://www.museumwines.co.uk/shop/?_sft_wine_brand=swerwer

The Phoenix Rises Once Again – Tasting the New Release Naude Family Wines Grenache 2019 Red…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

This is a journey that all started in 2014 with one experimental tank of Grenache from a special 18 year old vineyard parcel in the Agter Paardeberg, that Rosa Kruger had identified for Ian Naude. I just happened to be visiting Ian to taste his new Chenin Blanc and Cinsault vintages in barrel when I noticed this large stainless steel tank fermenting away in the corner of Ian’s cellar. When I enquired what it was and whether I could taste it, Ian suddenly appeared rather nervous and seemed quite reluctant. In the end, I did taste this magical wine that finally blossomed into one of the finest Grenache single varietal wines ever produced in South Africa.

But don’t take my word for it. There have been at least three large blind tastings carried out that I know of where the Naude Family Wines Grenache 2014 trumped the competition, coming out top against some of the finest Grenache examples from not only South Africa but also France and Spain, including twice beating the legendary Chateau Rayas in a blind line up. So the credentials of this vineyard as well as Ian’s winemaking prowess cannot be doubted. But not all stories have a happy ending. After only one vintage, Ian unfortunately lost the contract to the fruit from this vineyard, and with the maiden Naude Grenache 2014 red riding high in the market, no further releases were forthcoming… that is until 2019, when Ian managed to once again agree access to the fruit from this vineyard that was now nearing 24 years old.

In 2019, the Grenache crop was unfortunately one of the smallest ever due to the ongoing effects of a four year drought. Severe weather fluctuations during bud break and flowering also contributed to an already challenging season. There were some small positives however, with the small crop yielding exceptional fruit quality. Ian points out that the winter preceding the 2019 harvest received a high, drought busting rainfall allowing the vineyards and soils to start their long road to recovery after almost half a decade of drought conditions.

With healthy fruit beckoning, Ian consciously wanted to produce a red that moved away from the jammy, heavy, earthy ‘barnyard’ style that Grenache wines so easily orientate towards. After many visits to the vineyard and picking at a ripeness that would make a lighter, more elegant style of Grenache, the grapes were naturally fermented with minimal intervention. A combination of whole bunch, destemmed grapes and stalks where utilised during a natural fermentation in stainless steel tanks. After one or two soft pump-overs per day, the wine was left to settle for two weeks before being pressed and transferred into older 225 litre small French oak barrels where the wine was aged for 12 to 15 months.

Due for general release in mid-December 2020, this wine will almost certainly find an instant fine wine audience not just from those Grenache lovers that were lucky enough to savour Ian’s legendary 2014 release, but also from new consumers who have subsequently got to know Ian through his exceptional Chenin Blanc and white blends as well as his highly lauded Old Vine Cinsaults from Darling. This is yet another tantalising new release from a winemaker that is currently reaching new heights of fame and popularity both at home in South Africa but also internationally.

Naudé Family Wines Grenache 2019, WO Western Cape, 12% Abv.

RS 1.2 g/L | TA 6.1 g/L | pH 3.2 g/L 

There are many wonderful styles of Grenache around but one thing you can be assured of is the “Naude style” will always offer plentiful notes of perfume and fragrance, tart bright lively acids, red earthy fruits, pinpoint precision and above all, pronounced purity. This 2019 is vibrantly youthful allowing the aromatics to sing in unison with complex notes of violets and rose petals, bright red berry fruits and subtle notes of ruby grapefruit and red bramble berry spice. Cool, crystalline and wonderfully pure, the palate is steely and classically focused with a tart tangy acidity, zesty hints of blood orange citrus, cranberry and red plums and a backing mineral undertone of stony grey slate and fine grained gravelly tannins. Comparisons with Ian’s iconic 2014 Grenache expression will be inevitable but in many ways, the 2019 release is more polished, fine boned, focused and self-assured with more of the signature Naudé purity, tautness and light touch intensity in evidence. Once again, this impressive new release ranks amongst the finest single varietal Grenache reds produced in the Cape. Drink on release or age for 10-15+ years.

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

Andre Bruyns Meets the Classic 2017 Vintage Head On – Tasting the City On A Hill 2017 Chenin Blanc…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

David and Nadia Sadie’s assistant winemaker André Bruyns is really starting to make his own mark in the wider world of fine wine. Yes, I’m sure being referred to as ‘the assistant winemaker’ is a moniker that will eventually start to get annoying for André, but hey, there are certainly worse places to cut your winemaking teeth than working with the gentle giant David Sadie!

André wants his wines to be specific to their site and soil type with his white grapes coming from 35 year old dryland vineyards in the Paardeberg Mountain, planted mainly with Chenin Blanc. Farmed sustainably with some organic and biodynamic practices used, the granitic soils enhance the ‘liquid minerality ’ of the grapes leading to a more focused, taut, linear style of wines.

André kicked off the City on a Hill project with his fabulous 2015 white blend made from 85% Chenin Blanc, but he now also makes a 100% Chenin Blanc white using a selection of his best barrels that reflect the restraint and linearity of the unique Paardeberg style of Chenin Blanc. I recently got my hands on a bottle of the 2017 and true to form, André has produced another cracking wine! This is a great little project to watch closely!

André Bruyns in the cellar.

City On A Hill Chenin Blanc 2017, WO Swartland, 12.5 Abv.

This is a fascinating expression of Chenin Blanc created by André Bruyns. It’s the liquid equivalent of an enigma wrapped in a mystery that’s wrapped in a conundrum. The aromatics show crystalline white peach and yellow citrus, early season crunchy yellow orchard fruits but also pronounced salty, briney oxidative saline sea breeze notes. Underneath it all is this profound sense of liquid granitic minerality that pervades the wine. On the palate the tug of war continues, being taut but rich, salty but peachy, stony and thoroughly citric. Delicious oxidative notes of brine and dry roasted nuts rub shoulders with crisp bright acids, yet more overt minerality and an ample fleshy Chenin palate that retains a tight, crisp tension-laden finish. Intellectually, this wine is exhausting; hedonistically, it possesses the palate excitement of an eight year old child’s birthday and Christmas rolled into one! Still super youthful so drink a few bottles now but be sure to cellar at least a few for revisiting over 8-15+ years. A deliciously intriguing white!

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

Reverie Chenin Blanc 2016 – A Masterful Skin Contact White Creation From Jacques de Klerk…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

I think I first met Jacques de Klerk of The Winery of Good Hope a few years ago at a ‘very liquid’ casual fine wine dinner in Stellenbosch organised by Ryan Mostert and Samantha Suddons of Silvervis / Terracura fame. While I’m quite familiar with the Radford Dale wines, Jacques’s own pet side project, the Reverie skin contact Chenin Blanc, was a new one for me.

I recently enjoyed another bottle of the 2016 in London. Sourced from an old vine Chenin Blanc vineyard in the Swartland, this wine is made in a savoury oxidative style with several days skin contact before being aged for over a year in older oak. With the 2017 vintage already released and en route to Europe, grab the last few bottles of this exceptional 2016 if you can find it. This really was a superb vintage in South Africa specifically for older vine Chenin Blanc.

Jacques de Klerk Reverie Chenin Blanc 2016, WO Swartland, 11 Abv.

Rich and spicy, pithy and candied with an incredible lemon sherbet zing, enchanting white citrus, lime cordial and grapefruit length. The aromatics show the spicy lift of skin contact but it melts harmoniously into a grassy, fynbos and granitic complexity. Taut, concentrated and fresh but certainly does not lack any weight or archetypal Chenin Blanc punch despite the impressively low alcohol level. A very intelligently made wine that is very true to its Chenin Blanc roots in the Swartland but also displays its characterful eccentricities proudly.

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

Another Eye-Catching Paardeberg Chenin Blanc From the Swartland – Tasting the Fire By Night 2017 from Chris Alheit…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 1 Comment

Another new addition to the Alheit Family portfolio as Chris Alheit increasingly starts to focus on his premium range of single site and single terroir Chenin Blancs. This new cuvee is made from grapes sourced from three parcels on grape grower Christa von La Chevallerie’s Paardeberg farm planted between 1974 and 1980 and was tasted in London with Rosa Kruger and Andre Morgenthal at their fantastic Old Vine Project Masterclass.

Fire by Night Chenin Blanc 2017, WO Swartland, 13 Abv.

Old vine Chenin Blanc vines aged 38, 40, and 44 years old are conjured into an intense, complex white offering a bright crystalline purity, wonderful textural tension and intensity, loaded with liquid granite minerality, limestone, crunchy green gauge, apple, white peach and white pears. Pithy with slight phenolic nuances, the palate shows a spicy pear purée expression and such clarity and focus. Mouth watering acidity and subtle maritime salinity, this wine tells an amazing story of top old vine Chenin Blanc from decomposed granite soils made with incredible attention to detail. Another impressive addition to the Alheit range, this wine will drink well on release but also age beautifully for 10-15+ years.

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