Jason Drank: South Africa edition
It’s a regional roundup of bottles this time as I’ve just spent the last fortnight in the Cape winelands of South Africa, drinking nothing but local wines. No great hardship: the number of brilliant bottles that have crossed my path have made editing this down remarkably vexing. I tried to keep it to five but it just wasn’t possible (if you read on you’ll see there was a surfeit of brilliance), so there are eight wines this week.
I’m always astonished that South African wine isn’t more highly prized in the UK. Even though it’s the biggest export market, volumes dropped 6% last year. Yet the wines that retail for around £12 and up really can’t be beaten in terms of bang-for-buck, but it’s also a country full of creativity and originality that rarely asks you to spend more than £60 for its best bottles. That’s where a lot of Europe’s better wines begin.
But surely it can’t last. One winery openly admitted that — in line with Veblen’s theory of goods — sales of their top wine increased when they put the price up. Could it be that South African wines are too cheap to be taken seriously? It’s possible, but for now there’s no better place to spend your money — assuming your priority is simply and solely quality in the glass.
Given the evidence of the wines below, many of these wines can mature in bottle extremely well, even if they are much harder to find on the market than Burgundy, Bordeaux or Champagne, for example.
Graham Beck Cuvée Clive 2018, South Africa
I’d had the 2017 last year and was very impressed but I was simply staggered by how good the 2018 was. My first thought was ‘Krug’ and my second was ‘Bollinger Grande Année’ and I’m not joking. I’d love to see this in a blind tasting lineup of prestige cuvée Champagne. Unlike some Cape sparklers, the acidity and freshness is absolutely on point, and the combination of ripe, toasty citrus fruit with Rich Tea biscuit and a bottle-aged note of crème brûlée is mind-blowing. 95% Chardonnay with 5% Pinot Noir with a minimum of five years on the lees before disgorgement, this is a must-try for Champagne fans.
The 2018 isn’t in the UK yet but you can pick up the 2017 for about £45 from VINVM. https://www.vinvm.co.uk/graham-beck-cuvee-clive-2017. I’d pay double and still consider Cuvée Clive well-priced.
Klein Constantia Clara Sauvignon Blanc 2023, South Africa
If I’m being totally honest, Sauvignon is something I taste a lot, but drink rarely. I don’t order much of it when I’m out, and my husband doesn’t like it so that limits how much I drink at home. I was quite taken aback by how the Clara from Klein Constantia was, though. It is aged partly in new wood and is teasingly restrained, slowly unfurling flavours of yellow grapefruit and pomelo, a hint of dill, and then driving through the palate with a stony, mineral energy that’s more reminiscent of Assyrtiko than Sauvignon. It had me scratching my head at the same time as promising to drink it with food.
2021 @ £25.41 available via Lay & Wheeler
Hamilton Russell Grand Vin Noir 1981, South Africa
This was produced thanks to the generosity of a winemaker, who reckoned it was probably 1982 or 1984, but Anthony Hamilton Russell confirmed that it was in fact 1981, the first vintage ever made of this 100% Pinot Noir by the pioneering Tim Hamilton Russell, in defiance of the co-operative monopoly system that existed at the time. I was expecting it to be a bit over the hill but this was alive and could have been 15-years-old instead of over 40. I was absolutely captivated by its kaleidoscopic aromas of roasted coffee bean, dried strawberry, fresh earth, new leather and revitalising acidity. This was such a special wine and a real delight to be able to drink rather than just taste.
Current vintages, labelled as Pinot Noir, widely available via Wine-Searcher.com
Meerlust Cabernet Sauvignon 1978, South Africa
I love tasting older wine, and mostly I’m not too precious about the flavours because it recalls so much history and context from the period. It’s one of the things that makes wine special. This was from a private cellar, and in remarkable shape. There was a distinctive dried mint note, some faded black fruit, leather and cured meat and plenty of energy. It didn’t taste anywhere near as old as you might think, and although there was a distinctly herbal quality to it that is present in a lot of South African Cabernet Sauvignon, it had mellowed into something deeply savoury and complex. Truly memorable.
Current vintages widely available via Wine-Searcher.com
Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 1997, South Africa
A legendary vintage for wine fans, this was the first serious Cape Syrah on the market, made from a vineyard between Stellenbosch and Somerset West — but only once. When Marc Kent returned the following year, he found that the vineyard had been destroyed and a sex shop called Adult World had been erected (cough) on the site. Who knows what might have been in future vintages, but this one-off has gone down in Cape wine history. Marc didn’t hold back any bottles in those early days, but still occasionally picks some up at auction. This was in a great shape, so fine and crisp and peppery — not all what you expect from Syrah in most parts of the world, let alone South Africa. Many thanks to Marc Kent for opening it over dinner.
Wide selection of vintages from 2016 available via Wine-Searcher.com
Swartberg Wingerde Holism Garnacha 2021, South Africa
Winemaker Rudiger Gretschel has been on my radar since his brilliant work at the Reyneke farm, but this is his own project high in the mountains in Piekenierskloof. You have to drive north out of the Swartland to this region, where there’s barely any phone reception and certainly no wifi. The fruit for this comes from vines planted in 1966 in the sandiest soils I’ve ever seen. It’s like walking on a beach. It’s all the more remarkable because the vineyard is 700m above sea level and nowhere near the coast. The wine itself is perfumed, lacy and fresh, very much in a new wave Garnacha style, which is to say more Volnay than Châteauneuf-du-Pape, with a lovely burst of citrussy freshness on the palate.
From £27.95 via Cellar Door Wines, Loki Wine
Restless River Main Road & Dignity 2015, South Africa
I spotted this on the wine list at the excellent Fyn restaurant in Cape Town and knew I couldn’t pass it up. I’ve always loved the cool, chiselled feel of this Cabernet Sauvignon and 2015 was a highly regarded vintage in South Africa. For some reason, this wine always reminds me of the sartorial cut of Léoville Barton. It’s something about the firmness of the tannins, the cool, gravelly restraint to the fruit, the slightly chewy, pliant moreishness of the palate. It’s both serious and refreshing, moodily alluring and yet fresh-fruited with lively acidity. Also pictured, the equally superb Pofadder Cinsault 2019 from Eben Sadie. Quite a contrasting pair!
The 2017, 2019 and 2020 vintages widely available via Wine-Searcher.com
Porseleinberg 2018, South Africa
Sometimes celebrated, highly-scored wines don’t live up to their billing, but this certainly does. Made by Callie Louw on the Porseleinberg hill in the Swartland, this is one of the Cape’s best Syrahs. Various winemaking changes were introduced this year, meaning the tannins are a little less gruff in the wines since 2018. This was gorgeously perfumed, with raspberry coulis fruit, a touch of liquorice, smoky dried herbs and a rich, sumptuous texture. I also love the ‘porcelain’ labels which are, remarkably, all created manually on an old printing press by Callie himself. As though making icon wine wasn’t enough to be getting on with…
The excellent 2020, 2021 and 2022 vintages widely available via Wine-Searcher.com
Awesome list of wines. That 1981 from HRV was a highlight for me last year!