Best Value Red Wine in the World?

Hey Everyone,

After a long break from writing following my return from South Africa I have been active in trying to determine the course of what I will be doing over the coming year. With plans to replicate my South African experience in Napa Valley this coming vintage, there is plenty to be excited about, but until more concrete plans take shape I'll hold off on going into more detail.

A few days ago I came across a bottle of wine which the world's most influential wine critic, Robert Parker, Jr (or at least his Wine Advocate cronies) has declared to be the best value red wine in the world. Now inappropriate superlatives aside, I take great exception to many things Mr. Parker has contributed to the wine world; whether it be the inordinate influencing of prices by releasing his reviews of en primeur wines before they are priced by the producer, or the gradual disappearance of traditional wine styles as more and more producers strive to impress his Napa-Cab loving palate. Many things have been changed forever by the American wine critic for better or worse and now the wine world must continue as it is.

But the wine in question, Bodegas Borsao 2011 was reviewed by Mr. Parker to be the world best red wine for the price in the world. I tasted said wine, and while I found it perfectly enjoyable for the price, I found it predictably flavoured for the review it was given. Ripe fruits, a little complexity and a very enticing mouthfeel. I really don't see what it is that separates this £9 red wine from the rest of the pack. I enjoyed it perfectly well, I would enjoy it again and would happily pay for it. But in my head there is an ever growing list of wines between £8 and £10 that I would take long before Borsao.

I found the nose to be full of abundant fruits: ripe raspberries, some red currants and even a touch of strawberry jam and delicate spice. The palate is easy-going, a classically Spanish blend of Garnacha, Syrah and Tempranillo that works quite nicely and offers a tasty bottle of wine for a great price.

Therefore I do not blame the wine, merely the practice of decrying it so hyperbolically and laughably. Why Mr. Parker elected to elevate this wine over the rest of the world's medium priced wine, I think we shall never know, but here we are and this is the world we live in; the tastes and palate of one man being over-credited when it would suffice to call this wine what it really is. It is a good, reliable and solid wine for a damn good price and nothing less. I would give this wine a good rating, but as I am not in the usual habit of assigning numerical scores to the life-work of other people, I'll merely leave it at this...

Well done Borsao, very well done indeed!

Much Love,

G

 

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Wine of Origin Malgas- South Africa's Monopole

Hey Everyone,

We all like a product with a point of difference. Bordeaux blends focussed on Cabernet Franc (Raats) or even a country's only Biodynamic winery and that is exactly what I came to South Africa to find. The last winery I am going to write about specifically is not so much a winery but a wine farm. Also, it is a South African monopole. To give that term some meaning, a monopole is a winery that is alone in it's appellation; one of a kind. Château Grillet, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti are among the most famous monopoles, with wines fetching astronomic prices.

Here in Malgas, where the Breede River cuts a tooth-shaped course towards Cape Infanta there is no wine route. No wine bars or tasting rooms for miles and no restaurants along this beautiful African river contribute to the remote feeling of the place. The paved road ends about halfway through the journey (it seems) and eventually you arrive at a small farm with the only grapes you've seen in a hundred kilometres. Here is the origin of one of my favourite South African wines and to get here was an incredible journey.

The Breede River lends it's name to the wine; 'Sijnn' from the Khoisan language. The place is very special, and shows a visionary wine-style that revolves around the iron-rich ancient river stones that make up the top layer of soil; the spitting image of Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe, and the shale base. The wines are beautifully made and tasting through the forthcoming vintages and some experimental bottlings, I can say that this farm, after turning plenty of heads will not be resting on it's laurels.

What was most exciting for me was to see the emergence over time of a distinct Sijnn flavour. The way that Reyneke and Raats have achieved a recogniseable texture and flavour profile, so has Sijnn in the most recent vintages. Tasting some of the older vintages, it is great to see that they are evolving so well, with the maiden 2007 maturing like of the greats of the Rhône, but the 2011's in the white, red and Cabernetshowed the coming of age of the vines and the true expression of the soil and place.

The Cabernet, bottled in small quantities showed big fruit and mineral as well as some pretty chunky texture more like a Napa Cabernet though with a hint of herbal quality that I find distinctly South African. The 2011, however shows classic Cabernet qualities taking a back seat to aromas of olives, fynbos and pepper.

The Low Profile (intended as a supporting act for the Red) is a surprisingly serious wine with seductive richness, lighter fresh herbs and very pure fruit. There is a layering of garrigue and fynbos, but in reality, this wine is all about complex, rich fruits. Very nice stuff!

The whites have eveolved nicely, and the 2011 is again the best of the line up for me. I am curious to see what becomes of the 2012 as it develops in bottle, but the culture of evolution here in Malgas has led David Trafford to plant some Roussane to see how it works in the white blend. As I love Roussane, I am excited to see how this works with the Chenin Blanc and Viognier in the blend.

For all this talk about the varieties planted at Sijnn, I want to quote what someone said whilst tasting the wines at Malgas- "It's not the varieties that make the wine unique; it's the place." I think that that should be the approach everyone takes when tasting Sijnn, because it is too easy to look at the back label and read off the hybrid Rhône-Douro blend and credit that with the uniqueness of the wine. It erally is all about the place.

This is my last post from the bottom of the world and tomorrow I will be flying back up the length of this continent to St. Andrews and I hope that I've helped to whet your appetite for some delicious South African wines! They truly are amazing!

Much Love,

George- WynExplorer

 

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Those Damn Baboons!- Keermont Wine Estate

Hey Everyone,

Today I am writing after one of my more thorough visits to a winery. Just down the 'road' from Kleinood (more of a rough dirt track) is the Keermont wine estate, situated far up the valley with one foot on the Helderberg and one foot on the Stellenbosch Berg with vineyards creeping well up the slopes.

Originally this was a bottling plant for natural spring water, though since becoming a winery the spring still serves as a source of irrigation water in dire circumstances and fills the jugs on tasting tables. At the top of the vineyards the reservoir is said to be about the best swimming pool on a hot day, with clean cool fresh water, and no doubt a great source of drinking water for the wildlife of the mountain.

Wine maker Alex Starey took me for a drive up the steep winding track that weaves through the vineyards on the Stellenbosch Berg and there we got a look at the kind of biodiversity the area can claim. A male baboon, likely with his family in tow scampered into the bushes, dropping a bunch of grapes as he fled. This is one of the not so subtle reminders that I am in a very different kind of wine region, where the animal hazards are unique, and not limited to bugs and birds.

All the same, the team here at Keermont maintain that this biodiversity is part of an important balance they must strike with the land they work. They limit irrigation, avoid fertilisers and don't put up the electric fences that some vineyards use to keep out the well organised baboon raiders. I think that this is an excellent approach to winemaking and most importantly of all, it turns out that the wine is very very good as well.

I tasted a good range of wines, and had the chance to try several vintages each of their Syrah and the white blend. This wasn't so much to show me the effects of time on the wine, though that w evident, but more to show me how Keermont is adjusting its style and fine-tuning it's still-new output. After all, the Keermont label is only five years old and they are still very much in the experimental stages. The white blend from 2009 was big and fully rich with honeyed Chenin characters that I can only compare to an off dry Vouvay, though I hesitate to compare between regions. The current 2011 is more restrained, a crisp, minerally blend of Chenin, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc with just a hint of oak, but avoiding the vanilla driven style that can be so tempting for a new operation.

The Syrah was excellent stuff with vintage variation on full display in the two bottlings I tried. The 2009 was chunky and tannic, with big fruit and big acidity meant for a bit of time resting in bottle, while the 2010 was more approachable in youth. Present but silky tannins meant for a very satisfying mouthfeel alongside the lovely nose of black cherries, violets and spices. Both were very beautiful examples of Syrah which show the potential of this marvellous variety. I have said more than once that I believe Syrah is the most inherently beautiful grape I've ever tried.

The tasting finished with a proprietary red blend based on Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Syrah simply called the Keermont. It was a lovely Bordeaux style blend with great richness and spice and plenty of acid and fruit for a hearty meal. To finish off that meal there is the natural sweet Sauvignon Blanc, made from vine dried grapes. It was bright, clean and light with a nice peachy, cotton candy like sweetness that was ever so pleasant to drink.

Wile the wines I tried were excellent, and entirely merit the increased attention they are receiving, what made me most excited about Keermont is the the planning for the future. They are toying with single vineyard bottlings of Cabernet Franc which thrives so well on their slopes, they are planting new varieties, such as Roussanne and working with some Petit Verdot. All in all they have an adventurous spirit that is so valuable in a country like South Africa, and I believe that they have the potential to be (/are already) one of the great names in South African wines.

Much Love,

George

 

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The Wine Farer Series Willie Mostert 2011 White

Hey Everyone,

Today I am tasting a lovely bottle of wine from the Paarl region of the Western Cape of South Africa. It is a wine right along the lines of what I look for when it comes to a good, straightforward every day drinking wine that I am happy to keep in my fridge and offer to friends as well as enjoy my self. This void had always been filled by another South African Chenin; the Secateurs from the Badenhorst stable and while it always pleased, I am truly excited to have come across this little gem.

It is a big wine to be sure, with a beautifully rich texture and body, it displays the characteristics of each varietal wonderfully. The Chenin Blanc leads off of course with a bright aroma of honeysuckle and stewed apricots, but it is shadowed by the fragrant and fleshy Roussane, which I think gives the wine an added element of peachy fruit that helps avoid the over-honeyed character that plagues some Chenin Blanc. The remainder of the blend; Clairette Blanche, Grenache Blanc and Verdelho all contribute their own characteristics of soft, fleshy fruit, rich viscosity and a hint of petillance that gives the wine a great lift and keeps it from being too oily.

Another element that I like about this wine is the commitment to the terroir. There is a great minerality on the finish almost reminiscent of the Loire Valley, which makes sense, but the cleanliness and elegance is really a lovely aspect of this £10 bottle of white. Furthermore, the winemaking adheres to the principals of Biodynamics, which is a concept I don't fully understand, but I find more and more that a wine maker willing to go to all the trouble of burying a dung filled cow horn on a full moon (I believe that's part of biodynamics), is likely to produce a good wine. It all comes down to caring about the wine you are making and nearly every Biodynamically made wine I have tasted has been at least a sold representation of variety and style. This wine, is delightful.

This is the sort of thing that draws me towards South Africa. I find that many wine makers here embrace their unique terroir and make wines that express their overabundance of natural grandeur. Here, with wine making traditions going back to the 17th century, there is a remarkable spirit to explore the potential of what can be achieved with the final product, while remaining true to the character of the land.

I hope you get a chance to try this lovely bottle and wish you all the best in the week ahead.

Much Love,

George

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