Why
it’s the Cape’s top winery
12 February 2006
Some tasting notes, by Tim James, on the
Vergelegen range of wines
Vergelegen
winemaker André van Rensburg doesn’t seem to like my tentative
suggestion that his white wines are, on the whole, finer than his reds.
Perhaps if one put it as ‘even finer’, he might be less inclined
to take it as an insult and tantamount to saying that one thinks his red
wines are fit only for turning into industrial alcohol. I must remember
to try it that way in future.
Tasting many of the Vergelegen current releases in the
context of some top Californian and French examples recently (see
Cathy
van Zyl’s blog for her account of that), reminded me that I‘d started
compiling some notes on the Vergelegen line-up, and that they deserved
to be finished, for those few people who might have some interest in my
opinions of the wines.
Since mid 2006 I have been fortunate enough to have had
three opportunities to taste through most of the current Vergelegen
range and to pleasantly (re)consider the relative merits of the whites
and the reds. The most recent was the international one mentioned above
– the only one of the three where the wines were tasted blind. The first
run-through was slowly and consideredly for the 2007 Platter Guide; the
second was last October, at a tasting in the admittedly seductive
setting of the Vergelegen winery – with, through the windows, a the
magnificently distracting panorama of vineyards, fynbos and towering
mountains.
The notes below are primarily from the October 2006
tasting – these notes were, in fact, pretty consistent in most cases
with those from the Platter assesment, during which I also had the
chance to sample the wines over a few days, and observe what changes
took place with longer exposure to the air. Where useful I have
supplemented the notes with the experiences of the earlier and later
tastings.
Prices given below are very approximate retail. Ratings
are out of 20 in accordance with the usual Grape scale.
THE WHITES
Sauvignon Blanc 2006
R69 15.5
Expertly, elegantly tailored as always, successfully combining riper and
greener notes, forcefully flavoured but not too pungent, and made more
interesting with a steely, mineral-tinged core.
Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2006
R150
17.5
From the famous Schaapenberg vineyard,
unirrigated and windswept – and sometimes you feel you can scent on this
wine the whole sunny hillside – including the soil and fynbos. What
you’re paying for (pretty heavily) in the Reserve version is greater
focus and intensity of flavour, with more of the mineral, steely
character: here it brings a definite element of grand austerity. Really
needs at least a year, preferably a bit longer, to show its lingering,
refined power to advantage.
Semillon 2004
17
Powerful, forward aromas – developing
into the bouquet of a maturing wine, with semillon’s characteristic
lanolin now dominant over the citrus element. The full French oak
treatment really beautifully managed: integrated and reticent (perhaps
more through the tannic edge thanon the flavour). Very drinkable now,
but should gain further interest and harmony with another few years.
Chardonnay Reserve 2005
R175
17.5
From the Schaapenberg and Lower
Schaapenberg vineyards. Restrained and elegant, not at all in the
blockbusterish sweet and oaky style that is still associated with
top-end local chardonnays. This is dry and has only 13% alcohol, yet has
a lovely richness, tempered with a fine acidity. A really excellent
balance to the wine, though the oak (50% new) was actually showing more
on the October tasting than it
had three months earlier, and remained excessive in the February line-up
of international wines (where it showed very well against the classy
Californians, and revealed its element of attractive New World brashness
in comparison with the Premier Cru burgundy). Let’s hope the oak will
integrate fully over the few years that the wine should be left
untouched in bottle – five would probably be better.
Vergelegen White 2005
R210
18
Deservedly the white flagship and much
acclaimed over the years – the oldest vintages have shown a capacity to
mature well over at least half a decade and this vintage should do even
better. In fact it is restrained in its youth, reticent in its elegant
steeliness, but already revealing the great subtle intensity which will
emerge one day with a fine depth of flavour.
THE REDS
Shiraz 2004
R183 17
Often the most youthfully engaging wine of the range – as here, with
spicy, exuberant aromas. It’s big, gorgeous, easy-drinking wine, well
balanced, with sweet, deep ripe fruit not too trammelled by oak. WIll
keep and should gain by a few years.
Merlot 2004
R110 16
A stylish, ripe wine, with lots of
primary fruit still – rather too full of sweet cassis obviousness at
present. Dry and fresh, with a decent tannic structure. It showed
reasonably well in January’s international line-up but that was partly
because it was (for me at least) a rather disappointing category. A
touch of typical Cape merlot stalkiness will offend some.
Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
R140 17
Evolving nicely, though still needing half a decade to show well, I
think. A good modern Cape cab, though definitely on the classical side
of that category. The dusty, pencil shavings on the nose announce that
there’s plenty of oak, the hints of cassis point to the cab ripeness;
there’s a touch of light, fresh elegance and even minerality, however,
on the palate. Quite a bargain, really – on a local scale and even more
so on an international one .
V
2003 R600
17.5
In the international line-up I guessed
this was a modern French blockbuster, though the fruit sweetness on the
palate should have steered me home. But an impressive blockbuster,
certainly, and convincing in an international context. The seductive
nose still shows a good deal of expensive oak (I suspect it will always
be a little unbalancedly obvious, even if the wine is kept to see out
its decade, as it should be), along with a herby, fruity fragrance. Lots
of rich concentration for your money.
Vergelegen 2003
R285 18
The estate’s flagship bordeaux-style
blend seemed pretty much at home with a few very grand examples from
Bordeaux in the international line-up. Big, impressive, the 2003 showing
primary fruit still, alongside some dusty, spicy oak notes. Ripe, rich
tannins in balance with a good fresh acidity and all that fruit
concentration. Less elegant and graceful than the admittedly slightly
older French examples, with a more obvius sweetness (yet finishing
admitably dry), but promising a long and valuable future.
Also in the January international line-up were the
2000 and the 2001 Vergelegens, built along much the same big,
sweet-fruited lines, though apparently a little less harmoniously
balanced, with the 2000 stressing the tannic side and showing pleasing
vegetal and leather notes, the 2001 very satisfactory apart from too
much oak – will it ever not dominate, I wondered.
The October tasting included a vertical tasting of all
vintages of the flagships since the maiden 1998 up to the 2004.
That first wine was drinking beautifully, with some developed flavours,
but still time to go. The 1999 vintage had been sadly troubled by
a major cork problem, meaning that there are not all that many sound
bottles around: when it is clean, though, it is a lovely wine, perhaps
the most elegant of all made so far, with a bright, harmonious
freshness. The 2000 was less pleasing to me me then than it was
in the later line-up, with the tannins much too obvious. It was probably
right that Vergelegen made a wine in that most depressing 2002
vintage, for the sake of the record, but it is not one that people
should have bought at full price (I hope it has at last been gracefully
removed from the tasting room and replaced with the excellent 2003). I’d
now score it a maximum of 15 points: it shows elements of the dankness
so prevalent in 2002 reds, with some cassis fruit valiantly struggling
through, not much in the way of concentration though to promise
attractive development. The 2004 is a wine to look forward to;
certainly no disappointment after the 2003, and perhaps with even more
promise than that fine wine.
THE ‘LOWER END’
Mill Race Red 2004
R58
14
Something of a contradiction here, with the sweet ripeness on the nose
one expects from a ‘second-label’, more easy-going wine, but quite a
whack of tannin and acid (and serious oak treatment) that’s in fact a
bit much for the fruit; finishes rather short. At this price not quite
the bargain it used to be – but often available for much less in
supermarkets, which doesn’t really add to the estate’s lustre, does it?
Vin de Florence 2006
R29
14
I’m not entirely sure that this just-off-dry white really belongs on the
list of a prestigious estate like Vergelegen, even under a different
name as it is, but it’s certainly well made and a good bargain.
Chenin-based, with riesling and semillon – less muscatty than previous
vintage. Beguiling fruitiness, good acid structure to give it freshness.
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