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Text by Eben Sadie
Since our last release, we have had a very unusual, one of the driest seasons on paper. But for this release, we will see the warm and windy 2022 vintages of the Old Vine Series being bottled from various districts of the Cape, and they are looking very fruit forward, and it will be a tough one to lay them down as the wines are pretty “open”. As a rule, the reds’ tannins are also much softer and round. The 2021 vintages of our Signature wines come as a solid release from a great year.
ROTSBANK
The old Chenin Blanc parcel Rotsbank we acquired in 2021 will be released in 2023. It will be our first release of a new vineyard in over a decade, and the wine is set to become part of the old vineyards we bottle from different districts. We have always maintained that we would only bottle a Swartland Chenin if it could be from this vineyard, and it might have been a long fourteen years of waiting to get our hands on this vineyard, but it was simply worth it in every respect. The vineyard is planted on a very shallow rock shelf, “Rotsbank”, hence the name, and this leads to minimal growth for the vines as the topsoil is exceptionally shallow. The reserves are always minimal, and the general shoot length and bunch sizes are much more reduced than in the surrounding Chenin vineyards. The wine from this vineyard has excellent acidity, mineral earth textures, and firm texture and tannins, all the qualities of a great site. We have spent much time and capital over the past three seasons to elevate this vineyard to the highest level, and within a year or two, we expect an even greater response from the soils. We have been filling this vineyard’s shallowest and most restrained part with plenty of compost, which currently has an excellent equilibrium. We will ensure that the wine is allocated according to historical buying, and hopefully, we will be able to get most of our members placed with some of these bottles. It is, however, not an exact science, and the buying across our range will hold bearing. Travelling from Mev. Kirsten to Rotsbank to Skurfberg, there is a fantastic South-to-North geographical expression of Chenin, with all being made precisely the same, the different terroirs manifest, and it is a remarkable journey in Chenin expressions.
COLUMELLA 2021
The Columella has taken on many dimensions and interpretations over time, with quality being the central pillar, but more recently, the response to terroir has been more linear.
This 2021 vintage of Columella displays extremely bright red fruit aromas. The wine is incredibly fresh, and the 24 months of ageing in old casks are unmarked; it almost seems like the fruit is still hanging on the vine. Some velvety spicey herbal aromas of the African bushveld come through on the aromatics, and then violets and perfumes followed. There are darker, deeper lines of graphite, black olive and cedarwood aromatics, and the structure of the wine is relatively seamless; the tannins flow into the acidity at the end of the palate. It is incredibly balanced, and delicate layers of stitching make up this wine. Time is your friend on this one.
PALLADIUS 2021
The 2021 Palladius displays early picked stone fruit aromas with some citrus aromas in the background. Still, the minerality and salty qualities on the palate suggest that the wine will be slender for a while but will fill up over time in the bottle. Complex earthy aromas with lanolin layers make up the deeper aspects of aromatics. The palate of the wine is substantial, and the tannins and the acidity seem coiled up super tight. The current taste of the wine shows every intention of this vintage to be a longstanding wine with a big-player mentality. Tasting through the lineup this year, this wine is just a standout.
As always, it is suggested to age this wine for a minimum of 4- 6 years.
SOLDAAT 2022
This 2022 Soldaat has the characteristic red cherry and bright pomegranate fruit aromas that carry through into deeper earthy flavours. This year the colour is slightly darker but still bright red, and the tannins are softer than usual. The fruit is overall quite expressive, and the softer mouthfeel of the tannins suggests that this vintage was quite fully ripe at 13% alcohol. It will be hard not to drink it, but the wine gains massive complexity with time in the bottle.
POFADDER 2022
The 2022 Pofadder displays delicate red fruit of great purity and linear qualities; there are soft oriental spices and earthy aromas on the outer edges suggesting greater complexity in the future. The same fruit and deeper earthy aspects carry through to the mouthfeel and taste, which is a more serious style of Cinsaut. As with many 2022 wines, the tannins are also remarkably smooth with softer acidity.
TREINSPOOR 2022
The 2022 Treinspoor is textbook in its display of darker blueberry, spicey and herbal aromas with graphite aromas. The tannins are present in volumes, but as is the case throughout the 2022 wines, they are incredibly smooth and rounded. The purity in this wine and the focused fruit purity makes for a very serious wine with many layers and textures. Please afford this wine time, for it comes with ownership.
SKERPIOEN 2022
The 2022 Skerpioen enters the aromatics with volumes of fruit and limey, citrus and chamomile f lowers. This wine’s distinctive saline qualities, salty taste, and minerality are again prominent. The salinity of this wine is a textbook aspect of the site and terroir of this vineyard. The tannins are firm, and the acidity is fresh, and we suggest rushing off to buy oysters!
This wine is more assessable at an early stage than most of our other wines.
‘T VOETPAD 2022
With the first smell of this 2022 Voetpad, we thought, wow, let’s not even write a note and ruin it! This 2022 ‘T Voetpad is incredibly expressive, and the usual waxy and lanolin aromatics are to be found, but the cordial limey aromatics, dried straw bales, and a dash of melon are concentrated aspects. The palate has a lingering aftertaste, is incredibly restrained, and the wine is light on its feet. The tannins are restrained, and the acidity is very soft on the finish. It is one of this vineyard’s most elegant and refined versions. We also had to pick slightly earlier due to the looming heat waves. The wine is just a Mindbender this year.
KOKERBOOM 2022
In many respects, this 2022 Kokerboom displays the typical waxy, lanolin, and almost wet wool characters often associated with Semillon. The most astounding aspect is that this vineyard had only 180mm of rain this year, and this drought and hydric stress forced us to pick the vineyard much earlier than ever before. Yet very few green flavours are present, and most aromatics are the classic Semillon flavours, with maybe a granadilla passionfruit aromatics being a new dimension. The tannins, acidity, overall texture and volume in the wine are incredible, and we are in awe of the power of this terroir.
SKURFBERG 2022
This 2022 vintage of Skurfberg displays fruit aromas of granny smith apple, pear skin and lanolin. The viscosity of aromas and depth is incredible, and all of these fantastic aromas meet up with firm tannins and acidity that keep the wine in balance and under tension. The site also carries deeper mineral aspects often associated with Chenin Blanc and has been part of the expression of the Skurfberg vineyard from the outset. The wine is concentrated, but this is one of the lower alcohol versions to date, and it is incredible to think that all of these aspects could be met by almost a percentage lower alcohol than usual. The vintage was warm and extreme, and we had to pick slightly earlier than expected.
2022 ROTSBANK
2022 This 2022 Rotsbank bottling displays flinty, almost crushed eggshell aromas with grapefruit and more tropical aspects once the initial minerality of the site gave way in the aromas. The wine is incredibly concentrated on the aromatics; the same concentration follows through on the palate. The tannins have massive tension, and the wine’s substantial acidity and dry finish suggest a wine that will only benefit much from time in the bottle. This very restrained and firm wine will pair exceptionally well with shellfish.
2022 MEV.KIRSTEN
The 2022 Mev. Kirsten displays tropical fruit aromas that migrate more to fresh apricot and ripe peaches and pears, so generally, stonefruit aromatics. Firm tannins and a grippy acidity uphold these slightly riper and larger fruit aromas. The wine’s structure and the fruit’s volume are incredibly concentrated without being sweet in any way or form. It is truly an incredible vineyard.
Decantation helps but can never replace the actual effect of time.
