Staying on top 12 March 2007

Kanonkop and Jordan work hard at both consistency and progress, to maintain their
enviable reputations, says Angela Lloyd

Consistency is an admirable if rarely achieved attribute among wine producers; but even with such an asset, a bit of spit and polish now and again is necessary to maintain a good public profile.

During the harvest is an appropriate time to remind everyone of what you're about and two producers who do this to great effect are Jordan and Kanonkop. Both are recognised as cutting edge wineries and consistency over many vintages guarantees they are among the most successful.

Gary and Kathy Jordan are celebrating their 15^th vintage at the family winery this year. It makes sense that Gary deems ‘knowing our vineyards better each year'  influential  in their ongoing success. It's indicative of where priorities lie, or should lie, today.

The benefits of the family-run farm or secure tenancy of viticulturist and winemaker, in the case of outside owners, are invaluable when it comes to understanding the fruit they are dealing with. The regular `musical chairs' of winemakers and, to a lesser extent, viticulturists does not help South Africa achieve the positive progress we should be seeing.

Gary Jordan and his father, Ted, have been hands-on involved with their now 105 hectares of vineyard since the family purchased the farm in 1982; that's experience money can't buy. Practically, this year it has helped them identify blocks of merlot and shiraz suitable for a new dry rosé under the Bradgate label.

A rosé recce in the South of France last year gave Gary and Kathy a good idea of what they wanted in their wine, with moderate alcohol a prerequisite. Rosé made from juice bled off grapes destined for a red wine often results in alcohol levels tipping 14-15%, hardly what one looks for in a summertime sipper. The Bradgate rosé presented to the media was still all bits and pieces, but even the unfinished components show much promise with bright fruit, lively acid and that agreeable moderate alcohol. A rosé to watch out for when it's released a little later this year.

Jordan chardonnay, in all its four, individual styles – unwooded, regular, Nine Yards single vineyard and Cape Winemakers' Guild Reserve – is much further down the line of development and with an enviable record of achievement. (The picture shows Kathy measuring sugar levels in the fermenting chardonnay.) Here vineyard selection and cellar practices are well established, which strengthens consistency of each style and quality as a tasting of the quartet revealed.

The Jordans are a well organised family: even their fermenting chardonnay ‘sings' in unison! Our visit coincided with the ferments' most active stage (the happy gurgling and bubbling from inside the oak barrels was mesmerising ) but so too could have been the generous amounts of carbon dioxide with its less pleasant effects; we beat a hasty retreat from the underground cellar to enjoy wine as it should be, with good food and good company.

Kanonkop

Kanonkop Estate wines first appeared in 1973, some 34 years ago. Since then, just three winemakers have punched down the cap at this traditional, red-only property: Jan ‘Boland' Coetzee until 1980; Beyers Truter until 2002 and now the beguilingly honest Abrie Beeslaar.  ‘The 2007 vintage makes one realise one doesn't know much,' he admits. Yes, there is a Kanonkopness about the wines across these eras, as demonstrated at the vertical tastings owners Johan and Paul Krige put on at a celebration party each year (ten years of cabernet sauvignon in magnums and pinotage this time), but since Beeslaar's tenure there's been a definite upping of the ante with the wines showing greater purity and sharper focus.

Of course, better vine material plays a role, but samples of 2007 and 2006 pinotage from venerable 58 year-old vines both have this tremendous concentration of pure, fresh fruit – much more pinot noir-like than earlier versions. These old blocks are pretty influential on the final wine, providing between 25 and 40 percent of the blend. But the real eye-opener to this new Kanonkop era is the flagship Bordeaux-style blend, Paul Sauer 2004, due for release in July.

Beeslaar speaks of this as a large and difficult vintage, which lacks the concentration and staying power of the 2003. Well, congratulations to him then; for the wine is a classic; extremely elegant with great purity of ripe yet fresh fruit, creamy texture, the grape tannins with their staying power tucked neatly underneath. Oaking is complementary, though yet to fully integrate. Time will and should be left to weave its magic harmony. Roll on the next Paul Sauer vertical!

Significantly, at both Jordan and Kanonkop events, the hosts appeared as a team (Ted Jordan and production manager Sjaak Nelson excepted – they were busy harvesting), with owner, winemaker and viticulturist receiving equal prominence. As much as the winemaker needs to understand the vineyards that supply the fruit, so the viticulturist needs to understand the wine styles they produce. This scenario should be de rigeur today; it is yet another integral part of consistency.