Semillon

The 20 Year Wait is Over as MR de Compostella Launches Its Maiden Vesperi 2023 White Blend…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 2 Comments

Over the decades, there have been a few new South Africa fine wine releases that developed into epoque defining creations. One such wine was undoubtedly the 2006 release of the 2004 vintage MR de Compostella Cape Bordeaux blend made by Bruwer Raats of Raats Family Wines and Mzokhona Mvemve, the erstwhile University of Stellenbosch graduate. Together, they set about creating a classical red wine that at the time was not only the most expensive premium cuvée on the market from South Africa but was also one of the most uncompromisingly quality focused expressions produced by any winery in the Cape capable of shattering the glass ceiling of consumers’ quality perceptions.

The new MR de Compostella Vesperi 2023 white blend.

The first MR de Compostella release was followed not long after by another game-changing wine with a big-ticket price tag, namely The Jem 2004 from the Waterford Estate. Whereas the MR de Compostella seemed a perfectly conceived and expertly executed classical blend, The Jem was a slightly more excentric and exotic blend built around Cabernet Sauvignon (which has always been the wine’s backbone) at around 40%, followed by Shiraz at 20%, with Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot in the teens and Mourvèdre and Barbera in single digit percentages. With eleven varieties on the farm, The Jem normally used eight of these varieties to build up the layers of the wine.

Bruwer and Mzo in London for the Vesperi launch.

While neither of the above wines can claim to have achieved instant global success, The Jem was for several years viewed very much by fine wine buyers as a work in progress, whereas the MR de Compostella Bordeaux styled blend instantaneously nailed its colours to the mast and made its long-term intentions and aspirations of fine wine dominance very clear. It wanted to be able to compete with the finest wines of the world on a consistent basis, and if this was not possible in any given vintage, the wine would not be produced. Roll on 20 years and MR de Compostella is firmly established as one of the most respected premium boutique Cape Bordeaux blends produced in South Africa with notionally the consistently highest international critical ratings for any single wine from the Cape according to Bruwer Raats

It only took another 20 years until Bruwer and Mzokhona finally decided to craft and release a premium white blend under the MR Vesperi label, producing a white blend made from Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Semillon as a true homage to the great whites of Bordeaux, but with a little Chenin Blanc to add a bit of South African flavour. With all three cultivar components sourced from seven different plots in the Polkadraai Hills, the wine retains a beautiful signature decomposed granite wet stone minerality and tension from start to finish. The MR de Compostella Vesperi 2023, meaning “evening star” in Latin, keeps with the wider ‘constellation of stars’ theme.

Benchmarking the Vesperi against some top French Bordeaux talent at 67 Pall Mall.

Mvemve Raats Vesperi White Blend 2023, WO Polkadraai Hills, 13% Abv.

After a 21-year wait, the maiden vintage Mvemve Raats Vesperi white blend 2023 has finally been released, named after “the evening star” in Latin. Inspired by the great white blends of Bordeaux, the Vesperi includes a little local South African flavour in the form of 34% of Chenin Blanc to accompany the 33% Sauvignon Blanc and the 33% Semillon portions harvested from seven individual plots grown on decomposed Granite soils in the Polkadraai Hills ward. The Chenin Blanc was whole bunch pressed and fermented in a combination of concrete and used oak barrels, while the Sauvignon Blanc was picked fully ripe at around 14% potential alcohol and was fermented on its skins for around seven days before being basket pressed and transferred to oak barrels to finish fermentation and maturation. The Semillon was picked earlier, at 11% potential alcohol, to add a real citrus vivacity, freshness, and linearity to the wine, keeping more in common with Hunter Valley Semillon than the more glycerol, unctuous, lanolin-styled dry Semillons from Bordeaux. The individual components were aged for 10 months on their fine lees before each barrel was assessed blind for the final selection and assemblage.

The concluding blend is an incredibly accomplished, food-friendly fine wine offering a style that structurally has many white Burgundy parallels while never departing too far away from classical, premium, white Bordeaux expressions like those produced at Chateau Cheval Blanc and by the Guinaudeau family at Chateau Lafleur. On first opening, there are plenty of youthful, flinty, struck-match reductive hints interspersed with classic Polkadraai Hills wet stone minerality and crushed granite dustiness before notes of dry hay, dried green herbs, lemon grass, lemon curd, freshly baked pastries, and white peach start to emerge. The palate is full and assertive, yet incredibly well balanced and classical with notes of white citrus, waxy lemon and lime, buttered white toast and pithy yellow grapefruit marmalade on the long, focused, mineral finish. This is a very impressive debut and undoubtedly represents another formidable and noteworthy chapter in the history of modern premium white blends in the Cape. Drink on release and over the next 10 to 15+ years. (175 Cases produced.)

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

The Raats Family Wines and MR de Compostella wines are imported into the UK by Alliance Wines.

Jasper Wickens Reaching New Quality Heights with His Two Old Vine Masterpieces – Tasting the Tiernes Chenin Blanc 2021 and Wolwekop Semillon 2020…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

It’s always exciting visiting producers in the Swartland, whether it’s Eben at Sadie Family Wines, the Mullineuxs at Roundstone, or Adi Badenhorst at Kaalmoesfontein. But I certainly love how Jasper Wickens continues to beaver away producing some of the most exciting white and red wines on the market at the moment. Of course, there is plenty of competition in the Swartland, but Jasper’s wines continue to represent incredible value for money in an era when prices of the top wineries’ wines have continued to rise and rise.

If we are honest, Jasper is still a genuine Swartland young gun… not just being under 50… but under 40 years old! Full of energy, ideas and ambition, Jasper’s Swerwer brand is an incredibly exciting array of wines that continues to improve year after year, as he fine tunes and experiments in the winery to make ever more exciting wines. There are few more exiting Old Vine Chenin Blancs on the market than his Tiernes and with the Wolwekop Old Vine Semillon 2021 about to be released in the UK market, I thought I would take another look at these two exceptional white expressions that typify the supreme quality of premium fine wines in the Swartland.

Tasting the 2022 Tiernes with Jasper in March 2024. More excitement to come!

JC Wickens Swerwer Tiernes Chenin Blanc 2021, WO Swartland, 13.5% Abv.

A visit to the Swartland Waterval farm of Jasper and Franziska Wickens is always enlightening. But it is only when you walk around the upper reaches of the farm, high up in the old vine Tiernes Chenin Blanc vineyard planted in 1983 that you see, smell, and taste the true terroir of the decomposed Granite-rich soils of the Paardeberg. Planted on deep granitic deposits, these vines yield an exceptional expression of Chenin Blanc that in cooler, fresher, more crystalline vintages like 2021, reveals the true majesty of this cultivar. Bright, fragrant and notably mineral on the nose, the aromatics display a complex interwoven array of white blossom, peach stone, green pears, waxy green apple skins, wet hay, sweet baking herbs, fynbos, crushed granite and dried lemon peel nuances. In the mouth this medium-bodied wine simply shimmers, illuminated by its fresh vibrant acids and an intense, concentrated, harmonious melange of nectarine, peach and pear fruits infused with a salty liquid mineral essence that grows incrementally in the glass as the wine continues unfurls. This is an incredibly special wine graced with a real presence, finesse and stand apart greatness. But you do need an extraordinary vintage like 2021 to realise this kind of exceptional quality and also an agile, skilled, artisanal mastermind like Jasper to capture its essence and bottle it for others to experience. Drink this beauty on release and over the next 10 to 15+ years.

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

JC Wickens Swerwer Wolwekop Old Vine Semillon 2020, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.

This enticing Swartland single vineyard old vine Semillon planted in 1963 shows a brightly polished bronze colour in the glass before delightfully lifted aromatics of sweet yellow honeysuckle, lemon custard, lemongrass, iced tea, white pepper, lanolin, dry bushveld and a dusty granitic mineral spice. Like the nose, the palate also reveals an incredibly plush, harmonious integration with seamless layers of textural and flavour complexity. In true old vine Semillon fashion, the flavours coat the mouth from corner to corner, lingering to display a cornucopia of honied yellow fruits, lemon pastille, pineapple confit, glacé orange peel and a subtle savoury, buttery, pithy white citrus spice on a long, dreamy finish. This really is an astonishingly delicious and profound expression of old vine Semillon that comfortably rubs shoulders with some of South Africa’s greatest expressions, most notably from the Swartland and the Franschhoek Valley. Definitely a savouring, cerebral style of Semillon but also one that every connoisseur will want to have in their cellar. Drink on release or cellar for 10 to 12+ years.

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

The Swerwer wines are imported into the UK by specialist wine merchant Museum Wines and retail for circa £36pb.

http://www.museumwines.co.uk

Boekenhoutskloof Mini-Vertical Tasting – A Brief Review of Their Semillon, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah Wines in 2023…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 1 Comment

The original Boekenhoutskloof farm in Franschhoek was established in 1776. The chairs on the now famous wine labels all pay tribute to the skills of the 18th century craftsmen and their achievements in creating beautiful furniture from natural sources, in this case, mostly Boekenhout or indigenous Cape Beech trees, which were highly prized for furniture making at the time.

Under the leadership of Marc Kent, the first Boekenhoutskloof wines were produced in 1996 after the property was bought in 1993, with the legendary 1997 Syrah capturing the attention of wine critics globally. Over the years, there have been several brand extensions including the creation of the Porcupine Ridge and Wolf Trap brands as well as the Chocolate Block red blend.

Marc Kent

More recently, considerable investments in the Swartland have led to large scale plantings of mostly Syrah, which for Boekenhoutskloof culminates in the pinnacle of quality with their Porseleinberg Syrah brand managed and produced by Callie Louw. On the eve of the vintage 2021 Semillon, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah releases, I thought it would be an opportune moment to reflect on the quality of several back vintages of each wine. My notes were taken from a tutored masterclass in London presented by Marc Kent in January 2023.

Semillon Flight:

Traditionally made from circa 97% Semillon from three vineyards planted in 1902, 1936 and 1942, and 3% Muscat d’Alexandrie planted in 1902.

Boekenhoutskloof Semillon 2001

Honey, buttered toast, salted caramel and lanolin on the nose. Soft, piquant Sherry like palate with richness, an incredibly saline vein, and deliciously pithy and fresh with a bitter almond skin finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 92/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Boekenhoutskloof Semillon 2002

Dark gold in colour. The nose shows mushrooms, forest floor, earthy savoury notes, old honey. The palate is creamy, revealing salted caramel, a rich core of yellow stone fruit and a nutty walnut finish. Fresher in the mouth than on the nose.

(Wine Safari Score: 93/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Boekenhoutskloof Semillon 2009

Aromatics of honey on buttered white toast, white blossom, honey suckle, lanolin and a touch of stony reduction. Beautiful balance and creamy texture, fabulous purity, with liquid minerality, a fine tension and a good, long concentrated finish. Truly stylish! Wow!

(Wine Safari Score: 97/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Boekenhoutskloof Semillon 2010

Aromatics of dusty minerals, tea leaf, dry tobacco and lemon peel. The palate is creamy, pure and precise showing lemon butter, honey on white toast, and a piquant, nutty, pleasantly bitter finish. Rich and textural with plenty of dry extract, a silky texture and salty taut finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Boekenhoutskloof Semillon 2020

Attractive pale gold. Reductive white Burgundy nose with peach stone, crushed limestone, and smoky white citrus. Sleek and pure frutied, crystalline and focused with superb wound spring tension and a reductive, smoky minerality on the long finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Cabernet Sauvignon Flight:

Until the 2014 vintage, Boekenhoutskloof only produced a Wine of Origin Franschhoek Cabernet Sauvignon, which was then joined by the WO Stellenbosch Cabernet.

Boekenhoutskloof Cabernet Sauvignon 2001, WO Franschhoek

Salty caramel, piquant oak spice with savoury black tea notes with leather and sweet earthy red currant fruit underneath. Lovely intensity with a defined focus and saline, tart glassy frame. Very Claret-like, cool and classical.

(Wine Safari Score: 93/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Boekenhoutskloof Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, WO Franschhoek

The nose is very complete and complex, full of sweet tobacco, black chai tea spice, dense earthy black currant and black plum. Plush and vibrant on the palate with glassy acids, a slightly angular frame but also beautiful balance. Quite traditional but really lovely now.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Boekenhoutskloof Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, WO Franschhoek

Big vintage, big wine. Dense and punchy with earthy blue and black fruits, stewed plums and sweet tannery leather. Plush and creamy, touch piquant with notes of tertiary sweet tomato emerging. Possibly some slight oxidation on the bottle? I would expect more from a pristine bottle of 2009, a great red vintage in SA.

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

Boekenhoutskloof Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, WO Franschhoek

Much tighter, denser, and compact with ample notes of tannery leather, black berry fruits and exotic peach skin top notes. Palate is youthful and fresh, still with slightly drying grippy tannins, crisp soft fresh acids and a harmonious balance overall. If the fruit holds while the tannins soften further, this could be an absolute cracker.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Boekenhoutskloof Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, WO Franschhoek

Cool, sleek and elegant. Shows coffee cream, mocha, charcoal embers and piquant black chocolate. Very fine grained, compact and harmonious with a feeling of real precision. Classy and elegant as always, with a fresh, fine grained grippy finish. Should evolve into an absolute gem.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Boekenhoutskloof Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, WO Stellenbosch

Stony, broody and tight with a hint of tilled earth, graphite, black cherry and stewed earthy red berries. Lovely power, muscle and shape in the mouth with creamy drying youthful tannins, and a long, black fruited, mineral finish. Archetypal Stellenbosch Cabernet.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Syrah Flight – (SH21 Syrah Clone):

Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2001, WO Western Cape

Polished mahogany, wood spice, savoury red fruits with a hint of leather and molasses. Palate is dense and lactic, chocolatey, and quite appealing. Still a big bold wine with some tertiary development on the minty finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 93/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2002, WO Western Cape

Touch of reduction still with blue and black fruits, violets and purple flowers. Palate is fresh, crisp, and taut with sweet tangy red and earthy black fruits, hints of leather, tobacco, cured meats and kalamata olive tapenade on the finish. Lovely cooler vintage.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2009, WO Western Cape

Cool, stony and sleek with chalky drying tannins and earthy aromatics of coffee bean, stewed plum, and sun raisined cherries. Super creamy and plush on the finish with a savoury, tertiary hint developing. Drinking very well but probably won’t improve further, so start enjoying now.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2010, WO Western Cape

Cooler vintage like 2002. Nose is smoky and savoury with sappy red and black berry fruit nuances, red apple skins and a stony mineral dustiness. Sweet fruited, plush and broad on the palate with savoury red berry fruits, strawberry jam and earthy, youthful notes. A serious vintage making a serious wine with a very subtle tarry finish. Yum.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2020, WO Swartland

Boekenhoutskloof are now farming over 200 hectares of Swartland fruit from three farms. (The 2011 vintage included some Porseleinberg fruit.) Newer vintages consist of 90% Porseleinberg and 10% Goldmine Syrah from the farm next door to Mullineux’s Roundstone property. Deliciously youthful and grapey with notes of violets, lavender, sweet grilled herbs, charcoal embers and a leafy sapidity. Palate is super light on its feet with purity, black cherry elegance and pithy graphite hints, finishing with a weightless concentration and a soft blueberry complexity. Very classy indeed.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/10 Greg Sherwood MW)

The wines are imported into the UK by New Generation Wines and are available retail from South African fine wine specialist merchant Museum Wines. http://www.museumwines.co.uk

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.

Swartland’s Jasper Wickens Continues to Impress with His New 2021 Swerwer Releases…

~ 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. 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.

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 and his 2021 expressions from this cooler vintage are some of his best yet.

JC Wickens Swerwer Rooi Groen Semillon 2021, 12.5% Abv.

An alluring medium straw golden yellow colour, the aromatics speak of the Swartland’s unique granitic terroir, loaded with crushed rocks, dusty grey slate, dried straw, baking herbs, lemon peel and grated pear. Mineral, earthy and stony, the wine bursts to life on the palate with its vibrant, bright tangy acids promoting notes of white peach, yellow orchard fruits, tart plum and hints of crisp quince. The wine possesses an impressive textural density, a glycerol yellow stone fruit concentration and a liquid minerality all tightly interwoven so as to present an incredibly harmonious white with a delicious equilibrium. Jasper has really nailed the beautiful 2021 vintage with some supremely fine white wines. Drink on release and over the next 10+ years.

(95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

JC Wickens Swerwer Red Blend 2021, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.

A delicious red blend made up of Cinsault, Grenache and Tinta Barocca, this is a cool crystalline red wine that marries these traditional Swartland cultivars sourced from mostly gnarled old vines grown on deep decomposed granitic soils. With the grace and freshness of the Cinsault and Grenache, this blend is delightfully bright, elegant, and vibrant with a distinct cool sense of purity and precision. Initially savoury and sightly meaty on the nose when opened, the aromatics soon blossom to reveal perfumed notes of pressed violets, lavender, bramble berries and wild strawberry with an inviting underlying earthy fynbos and sweet garrigue spice. But this cool, elegant 2021 vintage is ultimately all about freshness, vitality and mid-palate tension, with the Tinta Barocca adding extra depth and tannic structure without compromising the wine’s overall balance and finesse. This is certainly a mouth-watering creation that offers enticing drinkability and red meat friendly food accompaniment. Drink on release and over the next 5 to 8+ years.

(94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Jasper with his 2023 Syrah grapes.

JC Wickens Swerwer Touriga Nacional 2021, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.

This delicious 2021 Touriga Nacional from Jasper Wickens is made from vines planted in deep granitic soils on cooler mountain slopes in the Swartland, with grapes harvested earlier to retain a freshness and elegance easy lost in this warm region. Naturally whole bunch fermented and treated to very gentle extraction, this cooler vintage red show’s this Portuguese cultivar’s true heritage with lifted aromatics of floral red flowers, lilac, earthy bramble berries, black berries and black plum with undertones of smoked meats, bresaola, fireplace wood embers and a subtle sappy wood spice. The palate is equally impressive with plenty of overt juicy black and earthy red berry fruits that really shine under the coolness of the wines modest 13% alcohol. Elegant and complex, the wine retains a wonderfully soft texture and mid-palate balance with fine sweet silky tannins and notes of orange peel, grilled herbs and sweet savoury black berries. The finish sees an understated but concentrated length with a gracefully dense persistence, making this a really very attractive and appealing Touriga Nacional expression. Drink on release and over the next 3 to 5+ years.

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

Jasper Wickens’ Swerwer Wines are imported exclusively into the UK by Museum Wines.

Groote Post Reaching New Levels of Quality and Acclaim with Their 2022 Seasalter Sauvignon Blanc / Semillon Release…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Groote Post has always been best known for its coastal Sauvignon Blanc but in recent years its other wines notably their Chardonnay, Shiraz and Pinot Noir have gained greater recognition from international critics. But it is undoubtedly the Seasalter white blend that seems to garner the most column inches in the wine press. As the story goes, it all happened with owner, Nick Pentz back in 2013, when on one of his regular wine marketing trips to the UK, he visited the tiny mediaeval village of Seasalter, which had been a local centre for salt production in the Iron Age. He immediately fell for the quaint name which resonated with the harsh, barren conditions on the Cape West Coast which is battered by the cold Atlantic Ocean. As Nick says… “one way or another, I was determined that I would use this name on a Groote Post wine one day.”

With the Groote Post winemaker Lukas Wentzel regularly experimenting with Sauvignon Blanc, partial oaking, and the addition of Semillon, the Seasalter blend was a wine just waiting to happen. So in the 2015 vintage, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon was assembled for bottling. The Seasalter is a blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Semillon with 30% of the Sauvignon Blanc fermented and aged for 8 months in 300 litre French oak barrels. The remaining components were fermented in stainless steel tanks and left on the fine lees until bottling.

Groote Poste Seasalter Sauvignon Blanc / Semillon 2022, WO Darling, 13.47% Abv.

This is a delicious West Coast wine that has been earning itself a solid reputation over the past few years. Made in the Darling Hills, just 10 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, the cool breezes help keep the temperature in the region down making it a perfect terroir for its blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc with 10% Semillon added to give a bit of richness and extra textural weight. On the nose there are enticing notes of white peach, green apple, freshly cut pears, white citrus, yellow grapefruit zest and a subtle sea spray salinity. The palate is equally captivating with delicious layers of unripe tangerines, passionfruit, yellow citrus, creamy lemon, Granny Smith apples, and yet more maritime coastal salinity. This 2022 is pitch perfect with the Sauvignon Blanc doing all the heavy lifting and the Semillon playing a supporting role in adding palate texture and extra herbal complexity. The touch of oak ageing is almost imperceptible but leaves a subconscious imprint of creaminess and savoury depth. I taste the Seasalter, Groote Post’s highly acclaimed flagship Sauvignon Blanc, every year and I can say with certainly that they have absolutely nailed it with this 2022 release. Drink now on release or cellar for extra complexity for 3 to 5+ years.

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

Wines available to the UK trade from Hayward Bros and retails for circa £16.99-£17.99 per bottle.

Retasting and Rerating the Incredible Old Vine Dark Side of the Vine Semillon 2017 from Black Elephant Vintners…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Semillon is a complicated grape variety that needs to be allowed time in the cellar to show at its very best. After reviewing this wine back in February 2021, I noted that it was indeed a noteworthy expression but would undoubtedly benefit from further ageing in the cellar. To my surprise, I was recently served the wine blind from a friends collection and I’m pleased to say this old vine Semillon has blossomed into an exceptional fine wine.

These 118-year-old vines come from the famous Landau du Val vineyard in the Bo-Hoek area of the Franschhoek Valley, once owned by the late Basil Landau, and really do yield some very special fruit capable of making some truly profound white wines. Harvested February 2017, the fruit was picked and chilled overnight before being destemmed without crushing and left to macerate on the skins for 24 hours before pressing. The juice was settled in tank and then transferred to old 500 litre French oak barrels for natural fermentation which lasted 6 weeks. After fermentation, bâtonnage was performed once a week to add richness and texture to the wine. The wine was bottled unfiltered and unfined after 12 months ageing in barrel.

As with many other complex wines, cuisines and works of art, it seems unreasonable to expect that every critic will taste classic old vine Semillon in the same manner and see eye to eye with their critical ratings. In this instance, I simply cannot see eye to eye with my original rating and was so moved by the wine that I felt a new review would be the only respectful thing to do! This is undoubtedly an impressive wine fashioned by subtlety and whispered nuances, liquid minerality and a slowly evolving textural passion play that eventually seduces the drinker.

Black Elephant Vintners The Dark Side of the Vine Semillon 2017, W.O. Franschhoek, 12.25% Abv.

RS 2.30 g/l | TA 5.6 g/l | pH 3.41

This is one of the most impressive old vine Semillons produced in South Africa. What started life as a super taut, tightly wound nervy vintage white is now finally starting to reveal some of its true inner secrets after almost 6 years ageing in barrel and bottle. This vintage still requires beneficial air time in glass or decanter to breathe, but it has definitely evolved and started opening up previously hidden doors of complexity and texture. The aromatics are rich and alluring, packed full of honey and white citrus, nectarine peel, crushed gravel minerality and notes of dried nuts with a subtle lick of lanolin and tinned petit pois. On the palate, a wonderful structural depth and breadth is revealed, impressively dense and glycerol with a real sensation of dry extract concentration from the exceptional old vine fruit. There is plenty of crunchy white peach stone fruit, dried herbs, tart green pear, yellow grapefruit confit and a long leesy finish framed by tangy fresh acids. I said in my original review back in February 2021 that this was “another complex, restrained offering that will take a little time in the cellar to show at its very best.” That has indeed been the case and now, this 2017 vintage is truly on fire. Time to enjoy the classism and quality of this very fine Semillon expression. Drink from 2023 to 2033+.

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

André van Rensburg Storms the Bastille with his Maiden Red and White Releases – Tasting the Most Exciting New Releases of 2021…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

‘The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success.’ If that quote could be applied to just one winemaker, it would be André van Rensburg. Never one for mediocracy, he has, over the years, often been accused of being obsessive in the pursuit of his vinous vision and so the madman image has stuck with him for nearly thirty years. Frequently misunderstood, some might say that he suffers a personality disorder, particularly when, in conversation, expletives abound. Opinionated in the extreme, he remains, without exception, respected by his industry peers.

If success can be measured by the countless local and international awards he has enjoyed during his already long and distinguished career, then you could almost argue that André should be ready for retirement. Chatting to his long-time friend and now importer Richard Kelley MW, he describes how his first encounter with the relatively unknown André was in 1995. “Even then, the winemaking genius was apparent. We became good friends. Our long-standing relationship is a tale of two ill-matched individuals: the outspoken rock spider and the quiet English rooinek. The quintessential odd couple. Over the last three decades, I’ve come to understand that André is the greatest winemaker in the world. It’s something he reminds me of every time we meet.”

Everything about these two new wines seems to speak of his almost three decades of experience gained at Vergelegen, yet they also seem to express a certain unique, unbridle passion and artisanal precision that was perhaps more difficult to bottle when creating such large volumes at the Anglo-American owned farm. Both the red and white thrill from the moment they are poured, they impress in a passionate, heartfelt manner which shows that André has undoubtedly poured his heart and soul into these two new maiden releases.

André van Rensburg Artisan Wines Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 13.86% Abv.

1.6 g/l RS | 6.8g/l TA | 3.11 pH

This very impressive maiden release is a blend of 86% Sauvignon Blanc but also features a 14% splash of Semillon for some extra salt and pepper complexity and mid-palate textural finesse. Regarded as his signature white grape, this beautifully crafted wine is certainly no “facile poolside quaffer” as André’s UK importer and close friend, Richard Kelley MW sternly proclaims. And indeed he is right!

This is a very serious barrel-fermented example in the style of top white Bordeaux expressions that is approachable now but will undoubtedly benefit from further maturation of up to a decade or more in the cellar. In the glass, the aromatics are packed with apple blossom, ruby grapefruit, citrus lemon, crunchy green apple, savoury gooseberry, fresh dill and tantalising touches of lemongrass and tangerine peel. But it’s on the palate where the true class and pedigree of André’s winemaking is revealed, boasting a concentrated, energy packed mouthful bursting with tangy gooseberry, lemon oil, crystallised ginger and lemongrass spice underpinned by a dusty, granitic crushed gravel minerality. The texture is super compact and dense, glycerol and mouth coating with just the most subtle hints of vanilla oak spice, a lick of lanolin, lime leaf and a spine-tingling acidity on the finish. This is certainly one of the finest Sauvignon – Semillon blends I have tasted in the past several years. Chapeau André!

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

André van Rensburg Artisan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2020, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5% Abv.

2.8g/l RS | 5.6g/l TA | 3.63 pH

I often wonder whether André made greater red or white wines in his previous life as head winemaker at Vergelegen. The problem is that his whites were so exceptional, that sometimes what he achieved with Cabernet Sauvignon and the other Bordeaux varieties was maybe sometimes overshadowed. But for me, André, the self-proclaimed Chateau Petrus-lover, was always the quintessential red wine obsessive, producing some of the most classically styled reds in South Africa when sweet, fruity, over ripe Parkerized wines were the flavour of the day. Like Sauvignon Blanc is his white signature grape, so too are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot his red counterparts.

This Van Rensburg red features 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Merlot but also includes a small addition of 7% Malbec and 4% Cabernet Franc and the wine was aged for 18 months in French oak barriques, 50% of them new. The aromatics are set to slow-release and gently ease their way out the glass in a leisurely fashion to reveal a complex melange of earthy violets, melted milk chocolate, forest berries, freshly tilled earth, raspberry liquor chocolates and undertones of dried herbs, melted tar and black berry compote. The palate is silky soft and beautifully elegant with a medium-bodied weight, soft brittle tannins and an almost 2017-esque weightless concentration of black berries, red currants, light soy, cherry tobacco and crème de cassis. There is an incredibly fine, seamless mouthfeel that is cool, compact and incredibly classical and fine boned. This is André flexing his winemaking muscles to the max, creating a superstar Bordeaux blend that is going to make some serious waves in the local and international marketplace. I feel privileged to vinously share in the next chapter of this great winemaker’s wine journey. Drink now or cellar for 15+ years.

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

The wines are available in the UK from South African specialist Museum Wines at circa £21 and £26 per bottle for the white and red. http://www.museumwines.co.uk

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)

A New Old Vine Venture Launched By Woodwinters Wines UK – Tasting the Veiled Vineyards Old Vine Semillon 2016…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Veiled vineyards is a project to unearth wines made in secret, by maverick winemakers in hidden cellars, or rare parcels previously destined to be blended, now set free to express their unique individuality and story. Preserving old vines has become a crusade for many in South Africa and UK wine merchant Woodwinters Wines has started off their new project with a wine made from historic old vine Semillon planted in 1942 and 1962.

Part of the uniqueness of this wine from Franschhoek old vines is how Mother Nature simply decided some of the Semillon grapes would naturally mutate to Semillon with purple skins and these grapes have been co-fermented to celebrate this unique phenomenon. With first stocks of this wine recently landing in the UK, I cracked a bottle of this “new release” 2016 to see what all the hype was about. Extra points for guessing which young maverick made this wine!

Veiled Vineyards Old Vine Semillon 2016, WO Franschhoek, 13.5% Abv.

This is a serious creation from classic Old Vine Semillon that offers up a complex nose of honied white peaches, orange peel, fresh fennel, dried green herbs, waxy yellow citrus, lanolin and melted butter. The aromatic complexity continues on to an impressively detailed, textured palate loaded with green pear, white citrus, baking spices, a touch of fresh fennel and a green leafy sapidity before nuances of bergamot and wet river pebble minerality. A really impressive, multi-dimensional white wine loaded with fruit intensity and fresh tangy acids. The extra bottle age allows this delicious Semillon to drink incredibly well now but still retains plenty of gas in the tank ensuring a long cellar life ahead. Drink this beauty now and over the next 8 to 10+ years.

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

For UK trade enquiries, contact Woodwinters UK at andrew@woodwinters.com