Sakkie Mouton

Tasting the Sensational New Sakkie Mouton Family Wines Weskus Wit Versnit (West Coast White Blend) 2023…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Sakkie Mouton has been at the forefront of experimental winemaking in the Vredendal and Koekenaap region for the past 6+ years producing some of the most enticing premium white and red wine offerings that are clearly inspired and influenced by the rugged West Coast vine growing lifestyle. Through adversity and hardship, comes rays of brilliance, and this new experimental white blend of 80% Old Vine Colombard and 20% Palomino sourced from Vredendal vineyards is another absolute triumph for Sakkie.

Over the past years, Sakkie has been experimenting with a wide range of white varieties from Chenin Blanc to Colombard, Vermentino to Chenel, Palamino to Muscat de Alexandrie, and his last new release, the 2023 Assyrtiko, was another wonderful revelation on his continuing path of experimentation and blending.

Old vine Colombard vineyards in Vredendal.

The usual outlet for Sakkie’s white blend experimentation normally falls under his Full On Misfit cuvee, that has evolved over the years into a beautifully harmonious, complex white expression quite unlike anything else on the market. This is of course part of the whole raison d’etre for so much of Sakkie’s winemaking focus, sourcing grapes in the once fairly obscure Vredendal region, better known in the past for bulk winemaking. The Grape Cavalier Wit Versnit is a delicious new white expression that avid followers of Sakkie’s wines will not want to miss out on.

Sakkie Mouton Family Wines The Grape Cavalier Colombard – Palomino White Blend 2023, WO Vredendal, 11.8% Abv.

This delicious Weskus Wit Versnit (West Coast white blend) is another triumph of terroir from Sakkie Mouton, opening with picante granitic aromatics that are heavily laden with oyster shell, sea breeze salinity and brine over delicate nuances of tangy white citrus, grated lime peel, lemon herbal tea, wet chalk, stem ginger spice and gentle hazelnut undertones. The palate is equally intense and beguiling, delivering a tart, mouthwatering experience tightly interwoven with fresh laser-like acids, another burst of ‘salted lemons after a savoury tequila shot’, freshly cut Granny Smith apples and an invigorating mineral tension that reverberates on the long maritime finish. A really fabulous new creation that has Sakkie Mouton’s signature Weskus winemaking genius written all over it. This appears to be a once-off experimental cuvee from Sakkie as he continues to push the boundaries of experimental winemaking. Decant and drink on release or cellar this beauty for another 5 to 8+ years.

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

The Sakkie Mouton wines are imported into the UK by South African fine wine specialist merchant Museum Wines. The Grape Cavalier retails for circa £37pb.

Another Incredibly Eye-catching Chenin Blanc from Sakkie Mouton – Tasting the New Release Revenge of the Crayfish 2023…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

With every new vintage release from Sakkie Mouton, you just never know what to expect other than that the boundaries of quality, texture and complexity will once again be pushed a little further as he learns from every consecutive vintage put in bottle. Undoubtedly, the Revenge of the Crayfish Chenin Blanc from Koekenaap, which in 2018 was his first wine produced, is now in 2023 nearing a point where the vision for his individual Weskus terroir style is starting to be cemented into something quite substantial and lasting. I probably say it every vintage, but this 2023 for me represents the finest and most grown-up expression of the Crayfish cuvee produced to date.

The 2023 Revenge of the Crayfish Chenin blanc was harvested on two separate dates, the 9th of February and the 16th of February, as the vineyard in Koekenaap ripens in two distinctive stages. Grapes were hand harvested early in the morning, then taken to a cold room and cooled down for one night. The next day the grapes were whole bunch pressed in a membrane press, with the juice being taken to a stainless steel tank for natural cold settling and no enzymes were added except for a little sulphur. Clear juice was racked off the next day into a stainless steel tank and some 500 litre barrels for natural Fermentation to start. Fermentation took about 40 days to complete. Afterwards, all the finished wine was moved to old 500 litre barrels to age for a further 10 months on their gross lees before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. No malolactic fermentation took place.

Sakkie Mouton Revenge of the Crayfish Chenin Blanc 2023, WO Koekenaap, 13.2% Abv.

3.4g/l RS | 7.3g/l TA | 3.16pH

Already in its sixth vintage, this new Revenge of the Crayfish Chenin Blanc 2023 once again pushes the boundaries of intensity, clarity, and purity of characterful Weskus Chenin Blanc fruit sourced from the unique Koekenaap coastal vineyards located about five kilometres from the cold Atlantic ocean on well drained Sandstone soils. This latest release shows a wonderfully complex aromatics of taut lime peel, freshly grated green apple, white blossom, apricot pip, fresh fennel leaf, and a subtle hint of under ripe green pears. The evolution of the Crayfish style is most evident in the way Sakkie has learnt to tame the Weskus briney maritime rock salt salinity and integrate it into a more complete, classy, layered expression while retaining plenty of liquid minerality and the kelpy, nori seaweed nuances. The larger format 500 litre oak barrels also seem to bring out the very best characteristics of the Chenin Blanc fruit, exposing a more glycerol, textured mid-palate packed full of pithy lime peel, white peaches, and savoury apple notes. This wine is not only one of Sakkie’s finest whites bottled to date, but also one of the most delicious and mouthwatering whites I have drunk all year. My admiration for this young winemaker grows with every subsequent vintage release! Well done Sakkie. Drink on release and over the next 8 to 10+ years.

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

The Sakkie Mouton wines are imported into the UK by South African fine wine specialist Museum Wines and are available strictly subject to allocation for circa £39 per bottle.

Another Exceptional Benchmark Old Vine Chenin Blanc from Sakkie Mouton – Revisiting His Fifth Release of the Revenge of the Crayfish 2022…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 4 Comments

With all eyes on Sakkie Mouton Family Wines again as he prepares to launch his fabled 2023 Revenge of the Crayfish Chenin Blanc, I thought I would recalibrate my taste buds in preparation with a bottle of his excellent 2022 release. Like all intuitive winemakers, Sakkie has slowly been evolving his winemaking style with every passing vintage, tweaking the oak regime, varying the amount of skin contact, experimenting with more or less lees stirring during elevage, etc… all in the quest to make more complex and exciting wines.

With the 2022 vintage, we see a number of these factors coming together to reveal themselves in the form of a very serious, mature minded expression of Wes Kus Chenin Blanc from Koekenaap.

Sakkie Mouton Family Wines Revenge of the Crayfish 2022 Chenin Blanc, WO Koekenaap, 13.84% Abv.

2.3g/l RS | 7.2g/l TA | 3.15pH

The most recent vintages from Sakkie Mouton have shown his growing winemaking prowess and confidence and this new 2022 Chenin Blanc is no exception. The aromatics are loaded with poached pears, green apple, freshly squeezed lime peel, tangerine over deliciously saline, maritime notes of nori seaweed, kelp, rock salt and crunchy white peach. As always, the palate is fabulously taut and nervy with layer upon layer of liquid minerality, sea breeze, brine, white citrus and Granny Smith apples. But it has been Sakkie Mouton’s ability to conjure up greater mid-palate flesh and textural depth through his evolving handling of skin and lees contact which acts to broaden the mouthfeel and remove any more harder malic edges associated with earlier picked fruit. This new release is a absolute triumph of west coast winemaking! Drink on release after a decent decanting and enjoy comfortably over the next 10 to 12+ years.

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

Sakkie Mouton Family Wines are available in the UK on allocation from South African specialist merchant Museum Wines.

A Triumphant Second Release of the Vloedvlak Colombar 2023 from Sakkie Mouton Family Wines…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

While Sakkie Mouton, together with his extended family of grape farmers in the Vredendal environs, have been integral in helping to launch a number of old vine Colombar brands onto the market such as the Naude Family Wines Langpad Old Vine 2020, Sakkie’s own first release only materialised at the end of 2022 with the maiden Vloedvlak 2022, a delicious wine that further expanded the premium offering of this once workhorse white cultivar.

The 2023 Vloedvlak is once again a 100% Colombar wine sourced from the same specific original clone old vine vineyard planted in 1978 on the banks of the mighty Olifants River, located only 25 kilometres from the cold Atlantic Ocean that acts to shape and influence the style and structure of the best Wes Kus wine expressions. Grapes were picked early in the morning to preserve freshness, then cooled down before being pressed the following morning.

Whole bunch pressing was done without the addition of any enzymes, then left overnight to settle in a stainless steel tank, before being racked to another tank to allow natural fermentation to commence. The final portion of the alcoholic fermentation took place in 228 litre barrels where the wine was then aged for five months on its gross lees, with two months of light bâtonnage, before being bottled unfiltered and unfined with a small addition of sulphur.

Sakkie Mouton inspecting his old vine vineyard in 2023.

Vloedvlak means flood plain in Afrikaans and alludes to the manner of flood irrigation that is commonly employed in the region with the close proximity of the Olifants River. However, due to excessive flooding in this vineyard in 2024 from freak weather conditions, Sakkie was not able to produce a Vloedvlak Colombar, but instead, will produce an alternative old vine Colombar from vineyards near to the Naude Langpad vineyard in Vredendal.

Sakkie Mouton Family Wines Vloedvlak Colombar 2023, WO Olifants River, 10.94% Abv.

1.4g/l RS | 7.6g/l TA | 3.25pH

This is another wonderfully pinpoint and precise white wine that speaks volumes about the increasing focus and textural finesse Sakkie now manages to increasingly capture on all his wines. Beautifully perfumed, saline and mineral all at once, the nose is packed full of white blossom, lime peel, white peach, orange zest, sherbet coated bon bons, and wet thatch notes over multiple layers of wet stone minerality, a sea breeze salinity, dried kelp and umami, nori seaweed nuances. Like all Sakkie’s wines, the aromatics are very subtle and delicate, merely suggestive rather than prescriptive. In the mouth, the texture is fine, crystalline and harmonious, but also deliciously tangy and mouthwatering with salty, briney acids, notes of lemon and lime pastille, white peach and a long, clean, stony savoury finish. I tasted this new release over two days to really let the wine’s full complexity express itself and to allow the underlying texture to open its shoulders and fill all corners of the mouth. After that, even my stoical will power was insufficient to hold off drinking the rest of the bottle. This is a majestic white wine and another important building block in the ongoing South African Colombar(d) storyline. Drink now and over the next 6 to 8+ years.

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

Sakkie Mouton Family Wines Joins the Cape Race to Produce the Top Assyrtiko White Wine in South Africa – Tasting the New Olifantsrivier Assyrtiko 2023…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

One of the unexpected results of the global growth in the popularity of the white Assyrtiko grape, has been a growing number of maverick producers in wine regions around the world that have planted this cultivar either as a playful homage to the original expressions of Santorini and mainland Greece, or as an experimental cultivar to study its capacity in mitigating against the effects of global warming and diminishing water supplies available to agriculture. So far in South Africa, three names have led the quality charge, namely Gary Jordan at the Jordan Estate in Stellenbosch, the Mullineuxs at the Roundstone farm in the Swartland, and Eden Sadie in the Paardeberg, though his grapes are sourced from far north up the West Coast. Now, finally there is a fourth pretender to the throne… Sakkie Mouton Family Wines.

The 2023 Olifantsrivier Assyrtiko is part of wunderkind Sakkie Mouton’s exploration into the new and exciting varietals that are available in the West Coast area, which has some of the most extreme growing conditions in South Africa. This wine was also made to showcase how new and more drought tolerant cultivars can withstand the tough conditions of the West Coast with its diminishing water supplies. The grapes for this 2023 Assyrtiko were picked early in the morning to help preserve freshness, and then cooled down before being crushed the following morning. After stems were removed, the grapes were taken to an old basket press where they were slowly and gently foot trodden so as not to extract too much astringency from the Assyrtiko’s skin phenolics.

Tasting with Sakkie Mouton up the West Coast in March 2023.

The juice was then taken straight to an old 228-litre barrel where natural fermentation started after two days. Fermentation lasted for about three weeks with a cooling jacket fixed to the barrel to keep temperatures at a steady 18C. The wine was aged for 8 months on its gross lees before being bottled unfiltered and unfined with no malolactic fermentation occurring.

Sakkie Mouton Family Wines Olifantsrivier Assyrtiko 2023, WO Olifantsrivier, 12.61% Abv.

3.3g/l RS | 7.5g/l TA | 3.17pH

The vineyards for this exceptional young white wine were only planted in 2021 on silty soils 25 kilometres from the Atlantic ocean. But this second crop has yielded a small quantity of white wine that is quite miraculous in its quality, character and intensity for such young vines. The aromatics are wonderfully true to form for Assyrtiko typicity with layer upon layer of stony, dusty minerality together with delicate hints of white flowers, lime blossom, and fresh kelp on the seashore, before notes of dried herbs, pear and oyster shell. The seductive maritime theme continues on the palate which is deliciously tart, bright and electric displaying notes of white peach, green apple, tart lime peel, and an incredibly potent coastal salinity. For years critics have hypothesized what Assyrtiko would taste like if planted up the barren Wes Kus which yields whites and reds with such a notable salinity, minerality and accompanying umami characteristics. Well, with this new release, now we all know! Such stony intensity, freshness and salinity really does baffle the senses and makes the mind wonder what quality heights might be possible when the vines are older. For now, we can only enjoy the vibrancy and brightness of what is an exceptionally well managed ‘halo crop’ from young vine Assyrtiko. Drink it now on release and over the next 2 to 3 years ideally.

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

Note: It is my understanding from Sakkie that a small quantity of the Assyrtiko was used to blend into his 2023 Full On Misfit White Blend and then the remaining wine, circa only 180 bottles, were bottled as a single cultivar wine and commercially only made available to the Asian-fusion Japanese themed fine dining restaurant FYN in Cape Town. As it is tourist season in the Cape, I have already had two people report back on drinking this exceptional Assyrtiko there by the glass, which by all accounts killed it with the tasting menu. If you are in the Cape, do track it down, else keep your patience and hopefully we will see subsequent vintages made available for export in years to come.

Sakkie Mouton Captivates Collectors and Connoisseurs with his Maiden Release Red – Tasting the Dawn of the Salty Tongues Syrah 2022…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

This maiden release red is certainly a big deal for Sakkie Mouton. Having worked so hard with his past vintages of white wine releases since 2018 to cement a solid unwavering reputation for characterful terroir driven Wes Kus quality, an incremental amount of attention to detail has gone into this maiden release 100% Syrah to make sure it impresses.

The label, as Sakkie tells me, “is a reference to the rise of the West Coast as a new wine region and showcases divers picking grapes under the ocean, which contributes to the salty taste on the palate.” The label of course also refers to the “salty tongues” of the hard-working Wes Kus farmers, miners, grape growers, labourers and fishermen – a very hardy bunch who are known to speak often using some rather colourful language.

The grapes for the 2022 Syrah were picked early in the morning and chilled before fermentation using 30% whole bunches in open top fermenters. Fermentation started after three days of cold soaking and lasted for around two weeks with pump overs three times per day. After fermentation, the wine was racked into one 500 litre and one 300 litre barrel for ageing for around nine months. The wine was bottled unfiltered and unfined with a small addition of sulphur.

Another mesmerising wine from Sakkie Mouton.

I have tasted this wine four times since its birth – once in tank, once in barrel and then again twice in the form of a finished bottling, and each opportunity has left me feeling completely exhilarated as I saw the wine evolve and progress. The final offering is certainly something to behold, revealing beautifully perfumed aromatics so redolent of the fragrant Northern Rhone Syrahs that Sakkie often finds himself fawning over at tastings.

Sakkie Mouton Family Wines Dawn of the Salty Tongues Syrah 2022, WO Oliphants River, 12.94% Abv.

3.0g/l RS | 5.6g/l TA | 3.6pH

Made from 100% Syrah grapes from vines planted in 1999 on decomposed Sandstone soils 25 kilometres from the cold Atlantic ocean, the nose boasts a salty, sappy tinged perfume of rose petals, violets, and sweet lavender with underlying notes of red cherries, cranberries, tart wild strawberries, and a subtle savoury, peppery, cured meat hint accompanied by a delightful herbaceous dried herb and graphite smoky spice. The delicate maritime influences on the nose follow to a vivacious, vibrant, energetic palate that shows a suave structure with finely cultured mineral tannins all in perfect balance and harmony, being wonderfully cool, pure, and crystalline allowing the palate fruits to shine but also for the true salty, maritime influences of the West Coast to make their mark with hints of kelp, nori seaweed, salty liquorice and picante black cherry and cassis on the finish. What else can I say other than this is undoubtedly one of the most exciting new additions to the South African Syrah landscape in the past 5+ years… which is saying a hell of a lot! Drink on release to experience the wines incredible veuve and energy but be sure to bury a few in the cellar for 5 to 8+ years. Baie mooi Sakkie!!

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

Sakkie Mouton Family Wines are imported exclusively into the UK by South African fine wine specialist merchant Museum Wines and for the UK on-trade by Wood Winters.

Sakkie Mouton Releases His Third and Most Accomplished Full On Misfit White Blend 2022 to Date…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Sakkie Mouton continues to grow his cult reputation and build a quality name for himself and his rugged west coast vinous expressions, all made from some of the most unforgiving vineyard areas in the whole of the Western Cape, four and a half hours north of Cape Town. The vineyards for this specific blend were planted between 1986 and 2017 on Sandstone and silt soils between 15 and 25 kilometres from the cold Atlantic ocean.

Having spent time with Sakkie Mouton in October 2022, and then again in March 2023, before his two most recent visits to the UK, I can clearly see that the young adventurous winemaker that I met in April 2019 at Spec & Bone Restaurant in Dorp Street, Stellenbosch, to taste his maiden 2018 Revenge of the Crayfish Chenin Blanc, has matured and evolved into exactly the bright young talent that I envisaged all those years ago when I described him as “the most exciting talent since Eden Sadie hit the South African wine scene.” It is fulfilling to see Sakkie grow and prosper and especially pleasing to see how popular and collectable his wines have become, not only in South African but also in the UK, Scandinavia and further afield.

Sakkie Mouton presenting a Masterclass in London in June 2023 at the South African High Commission.

The thing about Sakkie, like Eben all those years ago, is that he is on his own mission and has never looked to mimic or copy current wine styles or wine trends in the market. Exceptional talents like Eben or Sakkie have the passion and vision to follow their own dream, their own style, and create something new and noteworthy in a saturated wine world. That is exactly what Sakkie has done with his current wine range, promoting the very best old vine fruit from the west coast and Vredendal / Koekenaap in particular, just like Eden did with the Swartland in the early noughties.

Sakkie Mouton in his Vredendal Chenin Blanc vineyard in October 2022.

The Revenge of the Crayfish 2022 review will follow soon but will sadly probably be sold out before the ink is dry. But if you hunt around, you may still be able to pick up a delicious rogue bottle of Sakkie’s Full On Misfit White Blend 2022. If all else fails, reset your metal detector and watch out for Sakkie’s first red release in September 2023 – a Koekenaap Syrah that I have tasted three times, with each consecutive encounter impressing me more and more. It’s a veritable Allemande Cornas meets Jean-Luc Jamet Cote Rotie in style. But again, you are going to have to be very quick off the mark if you want to secure an allocation. So it’s onwards and steadily upwards for Sakkie Mouton.

Sakkie Mouton Family Wines Full On Misfit 2022 White Blend, WO Western Cape, 12.69% Abv.

1.6g/l RS | 7.0g/l TA | 3.25pH

The Full On Misfit 2022 white blend is a wine made from four different vineyards, located near the cold Atlantic Ocean, stretching from Vredendal to Koekenaap on the West Coast. An ever-evolving blend, the 2022 consists of 54% Chenin Blanc, 22% Colombard, 18% Macabeo and 6% Muscat d’Alexandrie. Bottled unfined and unfiltered with only a small addition of sulphur, the aromatics show a distinct perfumed floral purity with top notes of white blossom, lime leaf, lemon grass, white peach, lime peel and salty maritime notes of sea breeze, kelp and oyster shell. The palate is beautifully refined and harmonious displaying an impressively round, glycerol mouthfeel together with bright, tart, electric briny acids, sea water and savoury nori seaweed over bright, zesty citrus notes of lemon pastille, lime peel and yellow grapefruit. The nine months in barrel with regular bâtonnage broadens the palate and fleshes the wine out adding impressive texture and mid-palate stuffing. With its ingrained West Coast DNA, this wine will never be short on salinity and liquid minerality, two distinct hallmarks of all the wines Sakkie Mouton makes from these rugged Wes Kus grapes. While this is undoubtedly one of Sakkie’s most accomplished white blends to date, his experimentation looks set to continue unabated. Drink this on release after a decant and over the next 8 to 10+ years.

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

Wines are imported into the UK by Museum Wines and Woodwinters. Allocations are available upon request. Retail price for the Full on Misfit 2022 White Blend is circa £29.99pb.

The Collector Hysteria Continues Unabated As Sakkie Mouton Releases His Second Vintage of Sand Erf Vermentino 2022…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

This unique white wine is sourced from a tiny patch of Vermentino vines grown on orange sandy soils in Koekenaap planted in 2017, and which are located only 15 kilometres from the cold Atlantic Ocean up the barren West Coast. The unwaveringly maritime and saline characteristics of this dry coastal terroir up the West Coast has become almost synonymous as Sakkie Mouton’s signature style and these particular Vermentino grapes are located no more than 600 metres away from his old vine Crayfish Chenin Blanc vineyard with its decomposed sandstone soils with pockets of limestone which lend great minerality and low pH’s to the finished wines.

After tasting a few tank samples with Sakkie Mouton at the Cape Wine Trade Fair in Cape Town in October 2022, it was inevitable that the excitement would build until he released his second Vermentino vintage. More importantly, after Cape Wine, I made the five hour trek up the West Coast with Sakkie after the trade fair to go and visit not only his famous Revenge of the Crayfish Chenin Blanc vineyard, but also the two long rows of Vermentino that were planted originally as an experimental grape.

The experimental Vermentino rows planted in 2017 planted on Ramsey rootstocks to help against nematodes in the soils.

The 2022 Sand Erf was harvested in two separate parcels, with the first parcel getting 12 hours on the skins before pressing, and the second parcel getting whole brunch pressed. After pressing, both parcels were blended together. After a one month fermentation, the wine was racked into one 300 litre barrel for ageing for four months with regular stirring of the lees.

Sakkie Mouton surveying his two rows of experimental Vermentino along side wider plantings of Chenin Blanc.

The wine was bottled as Wine of Origin Koekenaap, unfiltered and unfined, with just the smallest addition of sulphur. While the one parcel only saw 12 hours of skin contact, Sakkie feels this factor has had a significantly positive influence on the finished wine, helping it to portray a slightly fuller, fleshier, more textural expression in the glass.

Sakkie Mouton Family Wines Sand Erf Vermentino 2022, WO Koekenaap, 11.93% Abv.

1.4g/l RS | 6.9g/l TA | 3.4pH

This white wine is classic Wes Kus misfit Sakkie Mouton at his best. The nose is packed full of youthful cream soda and rock candy aromatics before notes of peach kernals, crunchy green pear, white blossom and lime peel emerge to spar with the ever-present layers of maritime salinity, dried kelp, nori seaweed and rock salt complexity. The extra time on the skins lends the palate just that little extra fleshy, glycerol weight and roundness in the mouth to balance the intense briney rock salt salinity. The palate remains rapier fresh and precise but just that little bit broader and more architecturally layered, revealing a delicious green apple freshness and white peach and dried herb nuances on the long, generous finish. This is a wine that speaks of a specific maritime terroir and its harsh corresponding wind-swept coastal environment. In Koekenaap, the people are as hardy as the vines, but both are equally generous and expressive when handled correctly. A beautiful follow-up release that grows in confidence like Sakkie’s very own winemaking prowess. Drink this wine on release with wild Wes Kus oysters or fresh line fish or else watch it unfurl extra layers of complexity over the coming 3 to 5+ years.

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

Life imitating art… Sakkie is a keen musician like his grandfather, who is featured on the 2022 label.

The Old Vine Colombard Movement Gathers Pace – Tasting the Exciting Maiden Release of Sakkie Mouton’s Old Vine Vloedvlak Colombard 2022…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 1 Comment

Sakkie Mouton is undoubtedly one of the Cape wine industries bright young talents. But he has come a long way in a very short period of time since the first solo release of his Revenge of the Crayfish Chenin Blanc 2018, which has since been joined by his delicious Full On Misfit White Blend, the Sand Erf Vermentino and now his newest addition, the Vloedvlak Colombard. Despite this growing selection of wines, soon to be joined by an accomplished red Syrah, Sakkie’s wines remain impossibly difficult to track down and buy, seemingly selling out before they are even released! But considering the excitement surrounding his winemaking style and wine quality, the scarcity is hardly unexpected.

The new Vloedvlak 2022 is a 100% Colombard white wine made from Old Vine vineyards planted in 1978 by Mr Karel Voigt’s father on the farm Dwarsdeur located 35 kilometres from the cold Atlantic Ocean, just outside the small town of Vredendal on the West Coast of South Africa. The name Vloedvlak is Afrikaans for Flood Level, being a tribute to the old irrigation methods still in use today where whole vineyards are flooded until they reach their ‘Vloedvlak.’

Grapes were picked early in the morning to preserve freshness, then cooled down before being crushed early the following day. Grapes were destemmed and crushed into an old basket press without the addition of any enzymes, then left overnight to settle in a stainless steel tank, before being racked to another stainless steel tank for natural fermentation to commence. Fermentation started after two days and lasted for about one month with the temperature at fermentation kept at 14⁰C to preserve fruit and purity.

Flood irrigation in the vineyards.
Old Vine Colombard planted in 1978.

After fermentation, the wine was racked into 500 litre barrels for ageing on its gross lees. Aging in barrel lasted four months with regular stirring of the lees. The wine was finally bottled unfined and unfiltered with a small addition of sulphur. This new release carries a Wine of Origin Olifantsriver designation being sourced from Old Vine vineyards planted on sandy silty soils next to the banks of the Olifantsriver. Cold nights and warm days along with the traditionally cooler silty soils gave the grapes a longer natural ripening period.

Sakkie Mouton Family Wines Vloedvlak Old Vine Colombar 2022, WO Olifantsriver, 11.68% Abv.

This new addition to the ranks of the Old Vine Colombard movement is another striking example of what is possible with this once ‘work horse’ variety. Super young and packed full of primary aromatics, this wine will evolve and unfurl its full complex offering over the coming years. In its vibrant youth the nose resonates with embryonic notes of dusty perfumed talc, lime peel, crunchy white peaches, pear drop, honeydew melon rock candy, West Coast maritime sea breeze, Nori seaweed and subtle hints of dried green herbs and fynbos. The palate is tantalisingly taut and linear with a concertina’d concentration of sour yellow plum, savoury brine, white peach, tangy yellow apple and layer upon layer of salty, tangy acidity. Razor sharp and brilliantly crisp now, this wine will start to round out and put on additional leesy glycerol mid-palate weight with another 3 to 6 months in bottle. While there are already a few stunning examples of Old Vine Colombard on the market now, Sakkie Mouton once again succeeds in expressing his own unique winemaking genius with a wine that boasts a classic West Coast terroir character. Snap this rarity up on release but pop a few bottles in your cellar for at least two to three years before revisiting.

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

Recommended Retail Price expected to be circa £27 to £29 per bottle inc.

A Seminal Vintage in the Crayfish Journey – Tasting Sakkie Mouton’s 4th Chenin Blanc Release…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

After a two year absence from the Cape, I promised myself that I’d do a little West Coast road trip when I next visited the winelands. With a lot of help from Ian Naudé, this trip came to fruition in March 2022, beginning by collecting Sakkie Mouton in Malmesbury before heading up the coast. We stopped for an incredible Wes Kus lunch at the Wolfgat restaurant and this is where I first tasted Sakkie’s 2021 Full On Misfit as well as a recently bottled Crayfish 2021.

As both bottles were consumed with the incredible Wolfgat tasting menu, I obviously had a pretty good idea what I was in for when Sakkie sent me a finished, labelled and waxed bottle of the Revenge of the Crayfish 2021 to reassess in the more neutral surrounds of London.

Tasting with Sakkie Mouton at the Wolfgat Restaurant in Paternoster.

The vineyards for the Crayfish Chenin Blanc are located on well-drained sandy soils, about five kilometres from the cold Atlantic ocean, which receive a constant cooling effect from the sea that moderates the temperatures in this warm coastal region.

Confident and self-assured… Sakkie Mouton and the Revenge of the Crayfish Chenin Blanc 2021!

Grapes were hand harvested early in the morning, then taken to the cold room and cooled down for one night. This was done before being whole bunch pressed in an old basket press, followed by settling for twelve hours without any addition of enzymes except for a little Sulphur. The clear juice was then racked off and taken to 3rd and 4th fill 228L and 400L barrels as well as a batch fermented in stainless steel. Natural fermentation ensued for four weeks. After fermentation was completed the lees was regularly stirred once a week for eight months. Post fermentation carried out over a period of eight months on the gross lees before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Sakkie Mouton Family Wines Revenge of the Crayfish Chenin Blanc 2021, WO Koekenaap, 12.93% Abv.

1.1 g/l RS | 7.5 g/l TA | 3.11 pH

The refinement of this 2021 Chenin Blanc must surely represent a seminal moment in the evolution of the Crayfish Blanc. All the tell tale signs of the ‘Wes Kus’ are evident on the nose with multiple waves of maritime sea breeze, kelp on the beach and rock salt that combine with distinctly savoury, leesy biscuit nuances, waxy Granny Smith apples, yellow grapefruit citrus and wet stone mineral complexity. The beautiful palate shows noticeably extra textural depth and breadth compared to earlier vintages but also incredible intensity and piercing fruit concentration. There are notes of white citrus, tangerine peel, tart green apples, tangy lemon cordial and subtle notes of fresh litchi juice dusted with rock salt, dried fynbos herbs and nori seaweed. Fabulous precision and focus combine to make this one hell of a wine that finishes with deliciously tangy lemony acids and a pronounced saline white citrus fruit persistency. This is next level Chenin Blanc in my book that celebrates its own unique sense of place together with a maturing winemaking know-how. Simply stunning. Undoubtedly Sakkie’s best yet. Drink from release and over the next 10 to 15+ years.

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