Fine wine focus: Looking at the best wines of the Cape’s top producers

L’AVENIR PINOTAGE: An appraisal by Cathy van Zyl

Wine of Origin Stellenbosch
Winemaker / viticulturalist: Francois Naudé
Owner: Marc Wiehe

When Marc Wiehe met Francois Naudé in Stellenbosch around 15 years ago, he intended to ask the pharmacist-cum-handyman to assist him renovate his house. It took just a few minutes for the two to discover a mutual passion for wine and shelve the building project in favour of exploring the vinous world. Within a few years, Wiehe had bought L’Avenir and the two embarked on a journey that would lift the farm from obscurity into the global spotlight. Today, Naudé is one of the most respected winemakers in the industry.

The L’Avenir range is relatively large – sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, chenin blanc, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and pinotage are offered as single varieties (the latter two available under an ‘ordinary’ label as well as as Auction Reserve bottlings), there are three blends, a Cape Vintage and a noble late harvest.

Around 60% of the estate’s production – except for the pinotage – is exported. Pinotage, says Naudé, is a hard sell overseas, despite its often stellar performance at tastings, because consumers are largely unfamiliar with the variety. This, however, is the wine that initially built L’Avenir’s reputation in 1997 when its first vintage came from nowhere to win the estate’s first Perold Trophy at the International Wine & Spirit Competition in London.

Oddly, pinotage never featured on Naudé’s list of favourite wines before he started making it at L’Avenir. He claims the wines he was initially exposed to were vinified as cabernet sauvignons and merlots: the regime doesn’t emphasise the variety’s charm and can lead to an overproduction of the iso-amyl acetate character that some people – including Naudé – perceive as negative. It was only when he came to understand how Beyers Truter treated his pinotage fruit, and taste the resultant wine in bottle, that he began to respect the variety. With nine pinotage vintages under his belt and six Absa Pinotage Top 10 trophies in his cabinet, Naudé says he now loves the variety but recognises that it needs a great deal of management in both the vineyard and the cellar to truly perform.

The vineyards

The varietal mix on L’Avenir in 1992 included only one small block of pinotage – Block 17 – but, in anticipation of steadily increasing their pinotage bottlings, Wiehe and Naudé embarked on a steady replanting programme so that, today, at 13.5 hectares, pinotage is the most planted variety.

The first new blocks of virus-free clones were planted in 1994, as bushvines because Naudé believes this curtails the variety’s natural vigour, and fruit from these vines was first used in the 1997 pinotage. In addition, early in 1996, pinotage-bearing stock was field-grafted onto several old riesling vineyards to take up the slack until all the new bushvine blocks came on-stream. Being an estate, buying in extra grapes to assist meet demand was not an option.

All three permutations – the original block, the new virus-free bush vines and the grafted vineyards – are on Glen Rosa soil, a type of decomposed shale. The soil is slightly gravelly, which aids drainage, but a clay sub-soil ensures that the vineyards never dry out too much. This is vital because the farm is unirrigated.

Naudé finds the two grafted blocks difficult to manage to restrict crop levels. He eagerly awaits the release of his 2003, as this is the first vintage his new bush vines delivered sufficient quality to allow him to leave the fruit from the grafted vineyards. Naturally, crop levels vary according to the vintage but have hovered around 4.6 tons a hectare for the past five years.

Inexperience with virus-free clones caused considerable problems for Naudé in 1998, when the percentage of new block fruit was set to increase dramatically. He had not realised that, with their bright green leaves, the virus free vines were producing fruit that picked up sugars at twice the rate of the plants in the older block – but were taking longer to achieve phenological ripeness. He believes he harvested too early, at around 24.5° Balling, and that the resultant tannin structure of the wine is too green. But, the vintage provided a valuable lesson and Naudé knows to wait until around 27° Balling before picking virus-free fruit. He’s also learnt to check for colour and flavour in the vineyard instead of relying too much on his laboratory and field equipment.

The cellar

After dosing the fruit with sulphur dioxide at the crush to destroy bacteria, Naudé allows it to cold soak at 15°C for at least 36 hours to encourage colour and flavour extraction. Native yeasts start the fermentation but soon lose their effectiveness so Naudé adds a cultured strain that has a long lag time, WE14 being his current favourite. He then starts his maceration programme, which comprises pump-overs every three to four hours, again to boost the colour and flavour which are so readily extracted in the non-alcoholic environment. When the fermenting must reaches around 8-10° Balling it is taken off its skins to finish its alcoholic fermentation, which usually runs its course at around 28°C.

Depending on the source of the fruit, the wine is then transferred either into new barrels (for wine made from grapes from Block 17 and some virus-free fruit) or tanks (for the balance of the virus-free fruit and grafted blocks) to go through malolactic fermentation. Naudé believes that pinotage develops much faster in oak than cabernet sauvignon, for example, saying it acquires the oak flavours in just nine months and integrates these within three to six months, compared to the cabernet’s initial 12 months. He therefore leaves his pinotage in oak for around 12 to 14 months in total.

Only French oak is used, as Naudé believes that pinotage has sufficient sweetness to do without that provided by American oak. He uses barrels made by Vicard, his ‘worst wood for cabernet sauvignon’, as it marries well with the pinotage fruit. Because of its abundant fruit, pinotage also handles new wood and Naudé usually uses between 50-80% new oak depending on the quality of the vintage. There is minimal fining and sterile filtration before bottling.

As one tastes through the vintages it becomes obvious that L’Avenir pinotage exhibits a smoky, plum and black fruit character that is a far cry from rubbery, jammy and over-cropped examples responsible for the variety’s poor image locally and abroad. Naudé’s wines, too, lack the aggressive bitter finish found on many bottles thanks to ‘micro-managed’ vinification. The vertical tasting also allows Naudé to expand on his belief that pinotage has tremendous potential to improve with extended bottle aging. He’s looking forward to the 2004: ‘We’ve made very good pinotage over the past 10 years; now – with only bush-vine fruit to work with – we’ll be able to take quality up a good few notches. Watch this space!’

L’AVENIR PINOTAGE 1994-2002

1994  **** Beautiful layered appearance with a deep centre washing to a garnet rim. Bouquet initially subdued opening up to plums, forest floor and smoke. Palate still refreshing with sweet raspberry fruit and firm tannins. Clean, strong and powerful. Drinking well now but should hold for further three years. 13.4% alc; 100% bush vine, old block.

1995 *** The odd one out of this line-up. Mature colour; medicinal, over-ripe banana nose and very sweet raspberry palate uncomplicated by 30% new wood content. Soft and fruity but lacks extract and structure. Drink now. 12.5% alc; 100% bush vine, old block.

1996 ****½ A warm vintage reflected in a sweet plum and black fruit aromas and flavours, the latter combining with tight tannins and cleansing acidity to provide a still youthful palate only lightly touched with oak; this wine has the lowest new wood content (30%) but was made entirely from fruit from the 'old block' (31 years old bush vine at harvest). Tertiary aromas evoke comparisons with syrah. More evolved than 1994. Drink within five years. 13.5% alc; 100% bush vine, old block.

1997 ****½ Containing 70% of L'Avenir's original bush vine block (at harvest 32 years old), this wine has retained its colour intensity: ruby only just giving way to garnet on the rim. Its syrah-like nose is similar to the 1999 and 2000 but this has greater, and sweeter, raspberry fruit. Beautiful ripe tannins integrate with subtle coffee oak flavours while a refreshing acidity and slightly bitter edge ensure a long, classic aftertaste. Drinking well but still youthful. Should improve until 2007 and hold from then until 2010. 14% alc; 100% bush vine (70% old block, 30% new blocks).

1998 *** Of L'Avenir's seven pinotage vintages entered in the Top Ten Competition, this is the only one that didn't make the list (only just missing the cut, says Naudé). Most mature colour of the line-up, nuances of boiled sweets and over-ripe banana as well as harshness on the palate. Lacks complexity. Also Naudé's first real experience of virus-free clones – healthier leaves ensured sugar ripeness in record time but grapes were picked before phenological ripeness. Drink now. 13.6% alc, 100 % bush vine. (30% old block, 70% new blocks).

1999 **** Ruby red, smoky bacon notes similar to 2000 but this vintage is more herbal and plummy. Less new wood used (40%) respecting the fact that a high portion (64%) of the fruit was the first year's crop from a new bush vine block. Expressive fruity nose and palate. Ripe and seductive, it lacks the structure of the younger vines. Drink now with food or hold until 2005. 14.6% alc, 40% bush vine (37% old block, 63% new blocks).

2000 ****½ Naudé's most recent Perold Trophy winner (from the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London, other winners being his 1996 and maiden 1994). Purple blush mellowing to ruby garnet. The smoky, savoury bouquet sweetened by red fruits is more syrah-like but the fleshy red fruit palate and slight bitter lift are distinctly pinotage. Judicious oak characters despite 13 ½ months in 60% new wood. Leave until 2005; has the structure to improve until 2010. 14.8% alc, 55% bush vine (16% old block, 84% new blocks).

2001 ****½ Complex and elegant, again with black fruit (instead of the often derided strawberries) and sweet dried banana complemented by a hint of tertiary characteristics, such as farmyard odours. Too overpowering to drink now, should improve until at least 2010. 14.6% alc, 35% bush vine (11% old block, 89% new blocks).

2002 ****  Flush with purple/magenta of youth and exuding primary fruit characters, specifically telltale L'Avenir plums and ripe black berries. Despite a high proportion (80%) of the blend spending 13 months in new French barriques, oak aromas are limited to pleasant coffee and mocha hints. Opulent fruity palate reined in by tight tannin structure and refreshing acidity. Exceptionally persistent finish with power and breeding to improve for further 10 years. 14.9% alc. 52% bush vine.