Dec 15

ʼn Handjievol skatte

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deur Elona Nel

Van borrels tot buitengewone rooiwyne … daar het vanjaar vele nuwe sterre en ou gunstelinge in my wynglas beland. Alhoewel daar natuurlik soms teleurstellings en mislukte probeerslae opgeduik het, is daar oorgenoeg opwindende wêreldklas wyne in die rondte – definitief oorgenoeg om oor (huis toe) te skryf.

Twee Méthode Cap Classiques het beïndruk en is op my Top 5-lysie vir 2011 – die een is elegant en puristies, maar met ʼn goeie struktuur en volheid, terwyl die ander ryk en romerig, dog vars en fris is.

My top 5 wyne vir 2011:

Graham Beck Brut Zero 2005. Dit het ʼn unieke mineraliteit en met geen dosage wat bygevoeg is nie, is dié wyn skoon en oop. Die gebruik van beide Chardonnay en Pinot Noir verseker ʼn groot verskeidenheid geure en die MCC eindig beide vol en vars. Dit verkoop teen R205 per bottel.

Colmant se Brut Chardonnay NV is ʼn versnit van sewe jaar se wyne wat ʼn minimum van 36 maande op die gismoer spandeer het. Die beskuitjie-karakter is indrukwekkend, met ʼn volheid en romerigheid wat goed afgerond is deur die varsheid van die suur, groenappelgeure en sitruskarakter. Die prys is R158 per bottel.

ʼn Wyn wat met ʼn indrukwekkende bang uit die staanspoor weggespring het, is De Wetshof se nuwe “The Site” Chardonnay 2009 teen R115. Tropiese vrug-, sitrus- en lemmetjiegeure word gekombineer met ʼn ryk, romerige botterkaramel- en houtkarakter. Dit is baie goed geïntegreer en die wyn is steeds baie vars op die palet met ʼn aangename neutagtigheid.

ʼn Ou gunsteling en altyd indrukwekkende wyn is Neil Ellis se Grenache, en tydens ʼn vertikale proe van die 2007, 2008 en 2009 het ek nuwe respek vir hierdie 53-jaar oue Piekenierskloof-wingerde gekry. Die 2009 word gemaak in die meer moderne styl, waarvolgens slegs 75% van die wyn in ou Franse eikehoutvate verouder word, terwyl die oorblywende 25% in die tenk bly. Komplekse geure van naeltjies, peper en rooibessies, met ʼn sagte, fluweelagtige nasmaak slaan die spyker op die kop. Dié wyn verkoop teen R275 by die proelokaal.

Creation se Syrah 2009 is ʼn Hemel-en-Aarde-vallei rooiwyn op sy heel beste en die diep, donker kleur dui op die misterie van hierdie wyn. Aromatiese geure van kersies, viooltjies, swartbessies en peperagtige speserye word goed afgerond met ʼn sagte, tog lewendige mineraliteit op die smaak. Die prys is R155 per bottel.

Oct 13

In search of the perfect bubble

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by Elona Nel

Graham Beck have always been purists when it comes to producing exceptional bubblies and with the new Brut Zero there really is nowhere to hide. No dosage was added to this Méthode Cap Classique and while it is fresh and creamy at the same time, the unique oak flavours and minerality brings forth a wine of the most natural purity.

Some of the Graham Beck team members, Pieter "Bubbles" Ferreira, John Loubser and Louis Jordaan.

At the launch of this MCC at the Graham Beck winery in Robertson, this lean but not slight number was compared to the others in the range, including two Rosés, Brut NV, Blanc de Blanc and Cuvée Clive. Definitely a standout, the Zero spent six years on the lees and according to cellar master Pieter “Bubbles” Ferreira, it will only be released in exceptional vintages. Following this inaugural 2005, he reckons the 2007 may be the next…

Besides having a residual sugar of below 3 g/l as a result of no dosage being added, about 50% of the Chardonnay base wine was fermented in specially imported Champenoise barrels – resulting in creamy and complex flavours of marzipan and almonds. A blend of 87% Chardonnay and abundant citrus and green apple flavours, the 13% Pinot Noir portion contributes to the body and structure of the wine.

Paired with smoked oyster, cucumber, granadilla and chorizo, chef Margot Janse from Le Quartier Français wowed even the toughest foodies present. The mushroom, wood sorrel and celeriac course, served with the 2008 Brut Rosé, represented a forest floor and captured the bubbly’s flavours perfectly.

The guinea fowl main dish

Although the above was my favourite dish of the day, the Driehoek guinea fowl, artichoke, grilled waterblommetjies and liquorice crumble, with the 1993 Blanc de Blanc, was an explosion of flavours and layers of texture, from both the food and the wine.

So with a portfolio close to perfection, the question to Pieter as to what is next, reveals that these guys never stop innovating and improving. Besides many changes in the company itself, in the cellar and vineyards he wants to focus on regionality as the search for the perfect bubble continues.

Jun 09

The base of bubbles

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By Edo Heyns
 
Méthode Cap Classique Association chairperson Pieter Ferreira jokingly said that anyone who spends a morning tasting through a line-up of 43 base wines, has to have bubbles in his or her blood.
True – base wines are neutral, acidic and anything but an enjoyable tipple at 9:00am. Yet, as the name states, they are the base of one of the fastest growing wine categories in South Africa and I regard the MCC Association’s base wine tasting, held yesterday in Stellenbosch, as one of the most significant events on the already busy wine calendar.
MCC has grown in every sense of the word: consumption, production and most importantly, quality. And I believe that the Association has played a huge role in this. The surge of newcomers to the bubbly scene was met by a valuable core of established bubbly producers like Graham Beck, Simonsig and Villiera that openly embraced the opportunity to grow the category’s reputation by offering advice and assistance to new bubbly makers. This has now paid off, with the average quality of MCC maintaining an increasingly high standard.
Cabriére’s Takuan von Armin quirked that it’s possible to still bullshit consumers, but that this specialised annual base wine tasting is a completely different story. The big guns didn’t beat around the bush when a wine was faulty or just plain bad. Which makes sense, because it’s much cheaper and less embarrassing to cut your losses before investing in bottles for the secondary bottle fermentation.
Established producers clearly still have the upper hand, with Colmont’s Chardonnay base wine and a Pinot Noir rosé from Simonsig being my favourites of the tasting.
Some experimental wild cards now and then popped up at the tasting, with different varieties and wood regimes being applied for base wine purposes. Inquisitive winemaking often leads to exciting distinctive wines, but when it comes to base wines, I’m inclined to believe that it’s better to stick to the, well… the basics.
Although unique, South African Pinotage and Chenin Blanc have both suffered from the great variance in style and quality, with consumers not knowing what to expect when they buy the wines. MCC producers should learn from this. The pioneers have paved the way for new MCC producers by sticking to the age old French practices.
Our unique terroir and sunshine are already contributing unique attributes, without the need for winemaker’s intervention.
A panel of pros: John Loubser (Steenberg), Pieter Ferreira (Graham Beck), Nicolas Follet (Oenosense Consulting) and Phillip Jonker (Weltevrede).
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