The Jem

The Waterford Estate is situated in the picturesque Blaauwklippen Valley, in the world-renowned Stellenbosch region and consists of around 60 hectares of vines on a 120 hectare farm that was originally based around two smaller properties joined together on the Helderberg, one of the closest mountain ranges to the sea.

Owned by the Ord Family and developed under the watchful eye of Kevin Arnold, Cellar Master and Managing Partner, since 1998, the iconic Waterford The Jem cuvee stands as the winery’s flagship wine showcasing a multi-varietal blend concept which Kevin believed to be the very best wine that Waterford’s terroir could create.

Possessing a complex flavour profile encompassing the 8 varietals of its blend, this wine is a truly complex creation retaining an elegance and focus with seamless integration between its many component parts.

The 2004 was the first Jem vintage produced and until this special trade tasting in London in June 2019, the Waterford Estate had never shown a complete Jem vertical anywhere before. It was also the wine that drew winemaker Mark Le Roux to Waterford originally and has subsequently allowed him to develop and hone his winemaking skills and experiences.

There is a thought process that is followed when putting the wine blend together. When Kevin Arnold planted the various varieties on the different soil types it was to showcase the diversity of terroir at Waterford.

Built around Cabernet Sauvignon, it has always been the backbone of the wine 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.

Waterford Estate Jem Vertical:

Waterford Estate The Jem 2014, 14.6% Abv.

Aromatics of creamy, plush black berry fruits, black cherry, black plum and bramble berry spices with undertones of liquorice, cassis, sweet tobacco and vanilla prod spice. Palate possesses multiple layers of opulent fruit, black and blue berry complexity, sour cherry, graphite within a fine, polished tannin frame. The entry is hedonistic and opulent but the finish is long, dry spicy and mineral driven. Wonderfully textured and harmonious, this is one of the smartest and most distinguished blends from Waterford to date.

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

Waterford Estate The Jem 2012

Lifted, perfumed nose full of red cherry spice, dried cranberries, dried herbs and savoury plum notes underpinned by a stony, crushed grey slate minerality. The texture is beautifully polished, focused and sleek with the same creamy signature balance and harmony. Tannins are very fine and mineral and the finish spicy and classical with volume, weight and depth on the palate. Very old world in feel combined with a new world fruit purity.

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

Waterford Estate The Jem 2011

Dark broody aromatic profile with a savoury, earthy plummy depth, sweet cherry confit, pithy spice and dried herbs. Plum and fleshy with a pronounced sweet spot on the front of the palate supported by sweet cassis, cedar spice and a bright red cherry brightness. Lovely purity and beautiful textural harmony with a fine, dry, velvety tannin finish. Classical and classy.

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

Waterford Estate The Jem 2010

35% Cabernet Sauvignon. Possesses a complex nose of savoury, brambley black fruits, sweet tobacco, cigar box and grilled herbs. Wonderfully complex and savoury but also quite vibrant and piquant. Cool, sleek and impressively balanced, this wine is sleek, sweet fruited and fabulously balanced with seamless transitions between the multiple varietals. The finish is laden with pithy red cherry and chalky powery tannins but very distinguish and classically polished.

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

Waterford Estate The Jem 2009

35% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. Big, bold broody nose with plenty of sweet tobacco, savoury black berry fruits, earthy plum and spice and a pronounced, herbal, pencil shavings and cedar spice complexity. On the palate there is a fine savoury depth with stewed black fruit compote, Christmas pudding, coffee beans and a classically dry, slightly austere mineral tannin finish. Showing more evolution in fruit profile than the 2010. Texturally polished and pin point, this shows all the signature harmony and balance of the Jem with more tertiary layers.

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

Waterford Estate The Jem 2007

60% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend making it the highest percentage ever used. The nose show the classical herbal notes of the vintage with aromatics of wood spice, cedar, green herbs and pencil shavings underpinned by black currant fruit pastille ripeness.

(Wine Safari Score: 91/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Waterford Estate The Jem 2006

Sweet earthy savoury nose with layers of coffee bean, green herbs, blackberry compote, tannery leather and cured meats. Sleek and plush, this 2006 shows evolution and tertiary development, creamy lactic savoury fruits and a round, plump finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 88/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Waterford Estate The Jem 2005

Darker, tighter, broody nose with smokey graphite, black berry pastille, black cherry and sweet tobacco spice. Creamy, texturally plush of polished with lovely purity, fruit clarity and seamless balance. Holding together beautifully and still showing wonderful integrity, freshness and character.

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

Waterford Estate The Jem 2004

Earthy and savoury, full of forest fruits, Christmas pudding, tannery leather, green bean and sweet leaf and grilled herbs. Sweet and textural, plush and creamy with the tannins possibly borrowing extra grip and spice from the oak ageing.

(Wine Safari Score: 87/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Named after Waterford Estate’s owner, Jeremy Ord, or Jem as he is known, this is a red blend that has often seduced but also confounded critics over the years in equal measure since its first release in 2004. Indeed visitors to Waterford Estate often wonder if the different varietals that go into The Jem are aged separately. “They aren’t,” says winemaker Mark Le Roux.

A slightly exotic blend in the South African context, shortly after undergoing malolactic fermentation, about 20 different batches of the eight various varietals are meticulously blended to make up The Jem. “This is done to give the wine the maximum amount of time to integrate and bond” says Mark.

It is certainly a wine I have grappled with over the years and is perhaps one I have often failed to fully understand. So when in doubt, crack another bottle and explore further is what they say! With noticeable style changes occurring under Mark Le Roux’s watch towards greater elegance and freshness with real changes really being effected over the past 3 to 5 years, it certainly was time to open and reflect on the contents of a bottle of the newest release – The Jem 2014.

Waterford The Jem Red Blend 2014, WO Stellenbosch, 14.5 Abv.

Made from a warm, moderate growing season, 2014 as a vintage is best remembered as the last normal year before four drought seasons. The 2014 Jem blend is made up of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Shiraz, 14% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot, 6% Merlot, 4% Mourvedre, 3% Sangiovese and 2% Barbera. According to winemaker Mark Le Roux, the Jem is based on both red and black berry fruits with spicy aromatic tones and a polished, textured mouthfeel. The nose does indeed reveal opulent layers of fruit and spice with pronounced notes of oregano, thyme and dusty stony minerality. It certainly invokes notes of high octane wine making that thrives on the exotic. This wine could so easily be another Bordeaux blend based around Cabernet Sauvignon and it would no doubt excel under the watchful eye of Mark Le Roux. But there is a higher striving involved with this wine and since its inception, it has never embraced the establishment but rather courted the esoteric. It is on the palate that the idiosyncratic blend components reveal themselves, showing spicy black olive, red cherry spice, red peppercorns and red currant bramble berry fruits that buffer a darker, denser core of earthy black currant and saline cassis depth. In the past, this wine was perhaps a little too big and bold for me but now with the more recent vintages I can see the evolving tannin elegance, the textured nuances, interwoven acidity and exotic herbal Italianesque spices that set this icon wine apart from its competitors. If you like bold, modern, adventurous red wines, I suggest you crack a couple of these with your Sunday roast beef. Satisfaction is guaranteed. Drink now to 2034+

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