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Midsummer wine (2)
Wines from Oak Valley, Raats, Spier, Zonnebloem and Zorgvliet
Oak Valley Wines Oak Valley is fast gaining recognition and reputation for its wines. Perhaps the only surprise is that this didn't happen years ago. Anthony Rawbone-Viljoen's great grandfather, Sir Antonie Viljoen, was the first to plant vines in Elgin at the beginning of the 20th century. There followed a barren period as far as vines were concerned and it wasn't until Rawbone-Viljoen had been running Oak Valley for some dozen years in 1985, that vines again made an appearance on this farm, which had meantime made a name for itself with deciduous fruits, cut flowers and cattle. Then, small, experimental plots of sauvignon blanc, merlot, pinot noir, cabernet franc, chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon were planted. The grapes from the young vines were bought by Peter Finlayson and went into his maiden 1991 vintage of Bouchard-Finlayson wines. Future crops of Oak Valley grapes were held in high esteem and purchased by other well-known producers such as WhaleHaven, Rupert & Rothschild and Flagstone. All this while, Rawbone-Viljoen and top viticultural consultants were carefully planning the expansion of vineyards on this high-lying ground with its cool climate. Patience paid off when the first wine under the Oak Valley label, a 2003 Sauvignon Blanc, was released late that year. Due to their slow development, release dates of future sauvignons has increased; the latest 2005 came on the market in late 2006 and even now it takes two to three days after opening to show its classy paces. A sleek, steely profile carries good weight underneath with some succulence and an incisively clean finish. The cool, gooseberry intensity slowly unfolds, revealing a very complete, classic wine that should continue to provide satisfaction for a further year or two at least. The maiden Oak Valley flagship red is merlot led with 9% cabernet franc and 3% cabernet sauvignon. Our rating gives this wine the benefit of the doubt, for, although there is much to praise in the complementary oaking, generous 14.5% alcohol in balance with the rest of the structure and polished feel, we were concerned with the very tannic and, as CvZ describes it, ‘green stick' finish. This is a problem associated with many local merlots or merlot-dominated blends. It is quite possible time will resolve this only jarring note, but the wine will require careful monitoring over the next three years. – AL
Raats Family Wines Bruwer Raats presides in very satisfactory fashion over the moonlighting winemaking setup he started with brother Jasper in 2000. Now the winery has settled into a home in the Polkadraai Hills outside Stellenbosch town, and the Chenin and Cab Franc wines (only the two varieties appearing so far) have been achieving some notable successes in the UK and America. Justifiably, we thought, judging by this very appealing example – which in the best modern fashion is pretty delicious in extreme youth but seems to have all that is necessary to age a good few years to some benefit. The initial aromas set the tone with delicate red fruit and a typical touch of floral leafiness. There’s modern fruity accessibility, but also a lightly firm structure of silky tannins and fresh acidity, allowing for a fairly elegant and enticing offering (though AL found the texture a little thick). Expensive, but good. If you can afford it, buy enough to enjoy it as it (hopefully) grows in complexity over the next half-decade or so. — TJ
Spier This is the style of sauvignon designed to imbue with confidence anyone required to recognise the variety blind. Its glinting straw green colour looks as fresh as its aromatic mix –which spans everything from the riper tropical to cooler green pea notes (despite this apparent mix of sites or harvesting times, winemaker Eleonor Visser confirms the grapes all originate from one south-facing Stellenbosch vineyard and were harvested together); these vibrant sauvignon scents are padded out with unobtrusive though effective lees richness, a benefit also evident in the wine's good weight. Even so, both IM and CvZ find the acid stands a bit apart, though nothing to disturb an overall agreeable nature and clean persistence. ‘Straight down the line', opined TJ, who would have given a slightly higher rating. Closed with the now familiar screwcap, Spier's sauvignon should remain over the next year or two as delightfully fresh as we found it. – AL Spier website www.spier.co.za
Zonnebloem One of South Africa’s oldest wine brands, Zonnebloem has a reputation for rewarding its fans with value for money. Of the four whites and five reds in its stable, the Pinotage is arguably the stalwart, often pleasing the competition judges and the consumer alike with its consistency, typical aromas and flavours. The 2005 from dryland Stellenbosch vineyards is no exception: strawberries, faint whiffs of banana and just a hint of rubber were evident on our bottle. Equally fruity, full-bodied and only slightly tannic, the wine is judiciously flavoured with toasty oak. Whilst we commended the balance … and humility (‘wot you sees is wot you gets’), we would have preferred just a little complexity and a touch more dryness (residual sugar is 2.7g/l). AL was the most enthusiastic, arguing that this pinotage would really come into its own accompanied by a hearty boeuf bourguignon. We looked forward to sampling the 1996 Shiraz: what a treat to sip a wine ready for drinking rather than a youngster still needing to shed its gaucheness. And, like the family who recently savoured a 50-year-old Zonnebloem Cabernet Sauvignon at a family reunion (see story), we were not disappointed. The Shiraz’s restrained garnet hue set the scene; muted cranberries and fine savoury tertiary aromas and flavours like mushrooms and soya sauce embellished it. The wine was poised but mellow; its acid, fruit, oak and alcohol married well to produce an exceptionally long finish. IM praised its ‘laciness’ and AL its ‘gentleness’; TJ, in particular, found much to like including a relatively low 13% alcohol, an elegance, and a creamy note to its texture. Despite its relative age, the wine was certainly not over the hill nor obviously from the poor vintage 1996 is often reported as. However, it is unlikely to improve and should be drunk reasonably soon. At the equivalent of under R60 for a standard-sized bottle), we suspect you’ll regret not buying a magnum or two (in plush presentation box, too) for a special 2007 occasion. — CvZ
Zorgvliet One of the minor curiosities of Stellenbosch is the spelling of the lovely valley and the recently declared Wine of Origin ward in which Zorgvliet finds itself: Banghoek or Banhoek? Most of us thought the latter, but Frightened Corner it is (in my own probably insensitive translation), according to the legislated ward name. Zorgvliet’s website uses both spellings, incidentally, in detailing the many attractions and activities of what is a remarkably diverse hospitality-sector portfolio. Winemaker Neil Moorhouse (in pic) has been part of the team since 2003. Sadly, the winery wouldn’t give us their grand and ultra-expensive new flagship, Richelle, to taste, so we settled for these two examples of the less prestigious and pricy Silver Myn range – which proved rather controversial with the panel. The White is a 60:40 semillion:sauvignon blend, whose aroma announces what might be a house devotion to wood-as-flavouring – but very pleasant to sniff, though the oak is even more prominently toasty on the palate, adding to a rough edge that troubled AL. Otherwise we found it nicely balanced, though IM thought the zingy freshness a bit overdone. The good things, which shouldn’t be understated, include some richness, and appealing citrus notes from the semillon. Charry oak dominated the Pinot even more definitively, with some of us feeling that it not only spoiled what would have been a more attractive wine, but even robbed it of the pinot character that the clearly very ripe grapes should have given. IM and I, though, found attractive, earthy strawberry tones amongst the char, and some sweet juiciness on the powerful, rather alcoholic palate . CvZ and AL gave lower scores than this one, however. Cooling down the wine seems to give it greater harmony. But emphatically these are wines for those who particularly relish the overtones of toasty oak. — TJ |
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 Tasters
TJ – Tim James IM – Guest taster Ingrid Motteux, wine consultant; taster for the Platter Guide For more information regarding the tasting procedures, tasters, etc, see the Recent releases contents page
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