From Brampton to Zonnebloem
(with sad news for picnickers and slimmers along the way)
5 January 2006

Brampton
• Shiraz 2004 R50 13
• Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 R50 14.5
It is just on ten years since Rustenberg started a major reconstruction programme, a move necessitated in part by hygiene problems, similar to those that have plagued many other Cape cellars, and resulting in less than pristine wines. The Brampton range, an early introduction among the changes and sourced much more widely than from just the Stellenbosch farm, has always been specifically styled as fruit-driven, good value – so they may not be to everyone’s taste stylistically. Association with Rustenberg is downplayed; acknowledgement is in tiny lettering alongside country of origin, although the packaging – smart screwcap with the nearly abstract ‘B’ logo and ‘label’ information printed directly onto the bottle – reflects Rustenberg’s quality, professional approach. Success with the Shiraz (including splashes of mourvèdre and viognier) is hampered by alcohol bordering on 15% and by overripe fruit; grippy oak tannins and low acid add to an unknit feel (TJ objected even more than the rest of us). It may pull together a little with a year or two, but probably shouldn’t be kept longer than that. Although in the same fruity genre, the Cabernet benefits from better structure and cohesion, its ripe, dark fruits showing more freshness and persistence; the tannins (both grape and oak) firm yet harmonious. This might well go the five years (to 2009) predicted by winemaker Adi Badenhorst. – AL
Website

Gôiya D-Lite-Ful range
• White NV R20 10
• Rosé NV R22 10
• Red NV R26 9
• Sparkling Rosé NV R28 (r) 10
The successful march of Westcorp International’s Gôiya continues (but not very convincingly, we think) with its recent entry into the lucrative weight-loss market. Developed in consultation with Weigh-Less, no wine in this D-Lite-Ful range exceeds 10% alcohol by volume, while nominal residual sugars will keep dieters feeling virtuous as they forfeit their daily complex carbo allowance for a 120ml serving of winemaker Alwyn Maas’ low calorie formula.
   The non-vintage range might be better suited to the UK market, where Westcorp’s significant presence (constituting 15% of SA exports) will have ensured efficient distribution to the supermarket shelves in good time for new year resolutions. Whether anyone will get any pleasure from this lot is very doubtful. The fruitless White gives the impression of nothing more than a lightly confected blend of acid and water, preserved only by a perceptible dose of sulphur. More akin to a dilute verjuice, the Rosé would perhaps be best used as a dressing in slimmers’ salads. The sparkling onion-skin coloured version, a flavourless blend of chenin and pinotage, is also rather too frothy for anything but the tiniest sip.
   There’s also little to recommend the over-evolved, garnet-rimmed Red, which tastes well past its best-by date. Clearly, making decent, dry lowish-alcohol wines presents a harder challenge more than marketing the stuff – although these are very expensive for the quality on offer. – IM
Website

JC le Roux Méthode Cap Classique
• Chardonnay 2000 R65.30 14
• Pinot Noir 1997 R56.30 12
• Pinot Noir Rosé 1997 R76.30 15
We were disappointed by these examples from the Distell-owned JC le Roux, the Cape’s largest producer of MCC sparkling wines. We’d expected better. It was not just that we had to open second bottles for two of them: the first Chardonnay was just not showing well, and the Pinot Noir was badly oxidised. Unless the bottling problems were worse than we realised, the wines were all pretty lack-lustre, which particularly surprised Cathy van Zyl, who had tasted the wines for the Platter Guide, and had then been impressed by the Pinot Noir at least. Here, we agreed that the second bottle of Pinot offered rather neutral short-finishing wine, with no obvious varietal character, showing no interest accruing from the time spent ageing. Perhaps a poor bottle. The Rosé version was more pleasing, if not particularly exciting: there was more character on offer in its pale-pink-coppery depths, with some yeasty, earth-and-strawberry charm; fairly dry. Less all round in the Chardonnay 2000: an inconsequential, unproblematic bubbly, also dry-ish (AL thought our agreed rating rather over-generous). We wouldn’t even buy these for the packaging, incidentally, which is old-fashioned and lacking style. – TJ
Website

Namaqua
• Extra Lite Dry White R4.50 (250ml, as are all of these) 10
• Blanc de Blanc R4.50 11.5
• Johannisberger R4.50 9
• Rosé R4.50 11
• Dry Red R4.50 12
These five wines are Olifants River-based WestCorp International’s first foray into 250 ml and 1 litre Tetra Pak territory. Useful for picnics, of course, but also, as the company high-mindedly says: ‘eco-friendly, economic and ergonomic generating less refuse than glass, costing less to recycle and, thanks to its lower weight, saving on fuel during transport as well as being convenient to store, faster cooling than glass and offering 100% protection from light, which is one of wine's major foes.’ Just as well, because the wines themselves are not very attractive. The sweetie in the range, the Johannisberger, is non-vinous with a hollow centre; the rosé berry-ish with a sweet finish; the Blanc de Blanc is at least vinous but lacks definition; the Dry Red offers the most character and freshness of all but all in a quick, short burst. However, it is the Extra Lite Dry White with WeighLess approval that perplexes us most. Why? No, not ‘why’ are we perplexed but ‘why would anyone – even Bridget Jones-types on diet – bother drinking this? Aside from a brimstone nose, it is barely there in flavour, texture and alcohol. But, we accept that our palates might be totally at fault – Namaqua is South Africa's second-biggest seller in the UK, its success apparently attributable to the fact it provides affordable, decent quality wine for everyday drinking. Go figure. – CvZ
Website

Rustenberg
• Stellenbosch Roussanne 2004 R115 16
• Straw Wine 2003 R115 (375ml) 15
One of the most bureaucratically arduous and time-consuming undertakings that formed part of the Rustenberg reconstruction was importing and quarantining their own vine material. This included the first Cape plantings of the prestigious white Rhône grape, roussanne (it is most famous for producing, along with the marsanne grape, white Hermitage wine). Now, from those 2.5hectares comes the maiden South African roussanne wine (until mid January available from the tasting room only). Apart from being an impressive first vintage from three-year-old vines, it re-affirms the Rhône varieties’ affinity with the Cape’s warmer areas. As with all Adi Badenhorst’s Rustenberg wines, this was fermented on its own yeasts, which probably lends greater subtlety to the notes of pear and ginger spice and the hint of flowers. Firmly built, with weighty mouthfeel, emphasised by lowish acid, there’s a finishing brush of tannin, possibly from the barrel-fermented portion added to the tank-fermented majority. IM found it a bit too phenolic, but the savoury dryness it imparts should ensure even greater compatibility with food. Less certain is Adi Badenhorst’s projected 15 years’ potential.
   There are now more than a few wines made in the Cape where the picked grapes are left to dry on straw before being crushed and made into wine. For this example, the sugar level rose dramatically during the chenin blanc grapes’ six week drying period on straw bales, reflected in the wine’s final residual sugar of 298 grams per litre (for the technically minded, it rose from a moderate 21° Balling to an off-the-scale 58° Balling). Barrel fermentation and 18 months’ maturation only add to the sumptuousness – for which we thought the acidity not quite high enough to balance. Serving well chilled helps to infuse the sweetness with a fresher element. But the intense, high-toned honey and apricot aromas are lively and expressive. – AL
Website 

Sagila
• Chenin Blanc 2005 R38 13.5
• Sauvignon Blanc 2005 R48 15.5
Most winemakers dream of producing wine under their own label, not always the easiest goal to achieve when they are employed by another winery. But Mzo Mvemve, officially winemaker for the Cape Classics Indaba range, has received the blessing of his bosses, Gary and André Shearer to launch his own range, currently composed of the above two wines, both WO Stellenbosch. The Sagila name honours his great grandfather, ‘known for his rebellious spirit, and the Sagila, a traditional mace, he carried.’ He would doubtless be proud of his great grandson, who came from KwaZulu Natal knowing nothing about wine, gained his BSc in viticulture and oenology from Stellenbosch University and since graduating has worked with the Shearers; all this accomplished in under ten years. The Sauvignon is the more successful of the pair; its bright, inviting hue matched by fresh figgy intensity. Despite a moderate (low by today’s standards!) 12.5% alcohol, the wine has good weighty mouthfeel thanks to time on the lees; this is balanced by invigorating natural acid that leads to a zippy, lingering finish. A sauvignon that combines well-defined character without exaggeration or aggression. The Chenin Blanc also starts promisingly with the fresh floral notes and hints of wet wool associated with the variety. The initial pleasant honey flavours are let down by a rather too robust 14% alcohol; neither this nor the acid are in total harmony with the delicate fruit. A suitable food complement could increase one’s enjoyment but this wine is not for keeping. – AL

Wamakersvallei Winery
• La Cave Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 R87.75 (f) 14.5
• La Cave Merlot 2004 R87.75 (f) 12
• La Cave Pinotage 2004 R87.75 (f) 14
• La Cave Shiraz 2004 R87.75 (f) 13.5
La Cave is the flagship range (there are three others) coming from this Wellington co-operative. The unique selling point of this range is that each of its wines is made from single vineyard fruit. Cellarmaster Bennie Wanneburg and winemaker André Swanepoel do not vary their vinification techniques too much from wine to wine; all bar the pinotage are fermented dry at 26°C (pinotage at 28°C) before being matured in a mix of new American (30% for the shiraz, 20% for the other three) and French barrels for between 9 and 12 months. Packaged in stylish gold and black, the wines make an attractive addition to the dinner table and we felt the wines were very decent, but most certainly of a style that would find defenders and detractors. For us, the oak was just too dominant – on the nose it was sweet and redolent of vanilla, on the palate grippy and astringent.
    The Cabernet and the Pinotage shone brightest: the former with a refreshing acidity and proper cab backbone; the latter with a true strawberry-banana pinotage character and persistent finish. The shiraz, too, was balanced and positively dry with a lemony acidity and broad, friendly mouthfeel. The alcohols on these three ranged from 13.5% for the Shiraz to 15% for the Cabernet, but was not notably intrusive on any. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the Merlot with 15.5% – it was spirituous on both nose and palate, and also had an over-ripe, raisined fruit character. If you like this kind of wine, we’d suggest you don’t cellar any of them but rather drink them young – with hearty stews or around a serious braai. – CvZ
Website

Zonnebloem
• Shiraz 2004 R42 14.5
This enduring, big-selling brand from local drinks giant Distell’s stable is punting the enjoyment of good health as a good reason to swig the Shiraz – it will, they say, help prevent ‘neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s’. Well, yes, let’s hope so. Shiraz grapes were sourced from Stellenbosch, with winemaker Michael Bucholz maturing the wine in new and 2^nd fill oak, as well as stainless steel. Intense ruby in colour, the deep core reveals substantial extract, while red berry fruit flavours are well balanced by adequate tannin and acidity. There’s nothing off-putting in terms of style, which is perhaps more old than new. It’s an accessible, decent drink – as well as a good dose of resveratrols which should also help preserve the wine itself, as well as you, over the next four years or so. – IM
Website

Scoring

Grape’s interpretation of the 20-point rating scale

0-10: Faulty or just unpleasant

10.5-11.5: Dull, uninteresting but sound

12-13.5: Pleasant enough, decent but basically simple quaffer

14-15.5: Good and enjoyable, but no real excitement

16-16.5 Very good wine, offering something special

17-17.5 Fine and beautiful world-class wine, among the best in SA

18-20  Truly excellent, some even among the world’s finest

!!! indicates especially good value

Prices
Prices given are approximate retail in South Africa, except where indicated as ex-farm by (f)

Tasters

TJ – Tim James
AL – Angela Lloyd
IM – Ingrid Motteux
CvZ – Cathy van Zyl