Wineblog

@ElonaHess

It is inevitable that any mention of Beyers Truter ultimately concerns Pinotage – and so a group of wine media descended on Beyerskloof for an after-harvest lunch celebration and a mini-vertical of the highly acclaimed Diesel Pinotage.

Before getting around to tasting the three vintages made to date, Beyers proceeded to explain what a perfect vintage means to him – and why 2012 may well be one! In short, he wants good rain at the right times, cold winters and moderate heat in the summer.

Part of the Beyerskloof team – at the back is Buddy Hendricks, Beyers Truter and Anri Truter, with Travis Langley and André Frantzen in the front.

“This year was an interesting one – excellent, but very late. Although we experienced less rain than other parts of the country, it was enough,” he explains. “The cold units in May and June were also enough and we experienced near perfect budding.”

Beyers said that although the heat-wave in January was reason for concern, it was followed by cool conditions and no rain afterwards – the perfect antidote! It was a long vintage and although they started harvesting a bit earlier, they finished later than usual, just before Easter.

“It is a promising vintage – after malolactic fermentation, the colour of the wines are usually a bit lighter. Not this year; the colour is dark and the pHs are really good,” he explains. Anri Truter, Beyers’ son and winemaker since 2004, confirms this, saying that during his first vintage he got a real fright with the seemingly lighter colour after malolactic – “but the depth of the colour this year is so much better.”

When tasting the 2007, 2008 and 2009 vintages of the flagship Diesel Pinotage, vintage variation becomes even more evident. Beyers remembers 2007 being a good, above average vintage. When tasting the wine, it is fresh with a pure fruit character and well-integrated spicy oak. In 2008, they experienced a very hot January and March, with a high rainfall, resulting in an average vintage – personally, the least impressive of the three.

The 2009 vintage is known all around for being one of the best in recent years and Beyerskloof is no exception – it is a full and opulent wine, with good fruit, dark chocolate, sweet oak spice and a nice complexity. Will 2012 be any better? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Frank Menezes, chef at Beyerskloof’s restaurant The Red Leaf, with Beyers Truter. Lunch was based on traditional Burgundian cuisine, kicking off with Oeufs en meurette – a French favourite with poached eggs in red wine sauce, otherwise known as Beyers se eiers.

by Edo Heyns

Laid-back surfer, Beaumont winemaker and popular Chenin dude, Sebastian Beaumont, has contagious confidence in Botrivier and the Cape. He suggests that there is a new generation of South African winemakers that are not copying the French, Aussies or Americans, but confidently embrace the South Africanness of their wines.

“There seemingly used to be an obsession with trying to keep up with the trends of other wine producing countries, but winemakers are now more often well-travelled and world-wise in wine terms – and they know that they can confidently take on the best,” explains Sebastian.

And he also puts his money where his mouth is: Chenin is Beaumont’s key varietal, followed by Pinotage, as the red flag-bearer.

“It is impossible to make a Loire Chenin in Botrivier, but it is possible to make world class Chenin here – which is exactly what we are intending to do.”

The Hope Marguerite Chenin Blanc has earned its place among SA’s leading Chenins and the single block is now being rejuvenated by young vines, replacing the old stalwarts that didn’t endure the journey, which started in 1978.

Sebastian’s off the beaten track approach is also reflected in Beaumont’s unconventional blend, Vitruvian – a very distinct synergy of Mourvèdre, Pinotage, Shiraz, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

The increasingly authoritative blend is Beaumont’s take on a ‘Cape Blend’, which is not just defined by its Pinotage content. “I want this wine to reflect the best of Botrivier and that is how the blend is assembled.”

Sebastian says that South African reds were first too green and later too ripe. The Vitruvian challenge is now to find the sweet spot in the middle; fruit purity and less oak.

The result is a wine that improves with age and is generous, authentic, structured, characterful, complex, and very distinctive. If that is what “South Africanness” entails, I’ll proudly wave the flag.

by Edo Heyns

Kanonkop is not one of those wineries that send out a press release every time winemaker Abrie Beeslaar sneezes, but when they do invite the media, it’s done with all canons blazing.

The most recent vintage of the already famed “Black Label” Pinotage – a 2010 stunner – was presented at the Estate last week, along with older vintages of Pinotage, as well as their iconic Paul Sauer blend.

I’m not sure what made the biggest impact – the ceremonial canon blast or the big reds, but the canon shot certainly makes for a more entertaining video, with even a Toyota Fortuner getting a fright!

Johann Krige, co-owner, explained that Kanonkop will not be releasing a 2009 Black Label Pinotage, because the ‘normal’ Pinotage is of such quality that the difference between the two wines was “miniscule”, adding that the Black Label portion was blended into the standard Kanonkop Pinotage.

The 2010 Black Label shows typical Pinotage sweet fruit and balance, even though the wood is still on the prominent side. Only 1 500 bottles are available exclusively from the following outlets at R1 100:

The Wade Bales Wine Society: Wade Bales, www.wadebales.com, 021 794 2151

The Wine Cellar: Roland Peens, www.winecellar.co.za, 021 448 4105

Norman Goodfellows: Richard Fonn, Richard@ngf.co.za, 011 788 4814

My wine of the evening was, however, the not-so-standard Kanonkop Pinotage 2009, which is one of those wines that are best enjoyed if you buy a few bottles and open one every five years. These wines have significant aging potential and the immaculate balance of this specific vintage makes me look forward to my 40th birthday …