New wave of producers show who’s who in the Zoo Biscuit
IT’S getting quite difficult to draw a line between the New Wave (I prefer “lunatic fringe” though it’s not universally appreciated) of the Cape wine industry pushing the vinous equivalent of the envelope, and the so-called Young Turks.
Fifteen or so years ago, when Eben Sadie left Spice Route to launch Columella and set up what has now become Sadie Family Vineyards, it was possible to characterise what he was doing as “innovative and cutting edge”.
It was serious and sober, built on a known methodology, but with fruit sources that had largely been disregarded by mainstream producers. The madness was inherent in the vision and risk.
It was like looking at Sputnik and planning the moon mission.
That was a generation ago. Now there are dozens of small producers — professionals rather than amateur garagistes — making anything from three to 30 barrels of wine. In space race terms, they are the college aeronautics club of today compared with Nasa in the ’60s.
They are generally viticulturally adept, so even though they buy grapes, they are involved in the farming process. Because many are not scared of “things going wrong”, they are less conservative than the preceding generation: if you want the adrenaline high of a tightrope walk over the Niagara Falls, there’s no point in having a safety net.
Operating under the umbrella of Zoo Biscuit, they include some of the more established of the edgy producers (such as Alheit and Crystallum) with some real newcomers.
They recently put together a tasting at Natte Vallei that was a fascinating statement of the new world of South African wine.
John Seccombe’s Thorne & Daughters Zoetrope Chardonnay and the Rocking Horse 2014 blend were standout wines. The former has a tight, concentrated freshness that promises prolonged and complex aging. The latter, which combines Chenin, Roussanne and Semillon, has fragrance without flabbiness.
Alheit’s 2014 Cartology is a significant step up on the 2013: intense, precise and delicious, it makes the point that fine wine does not need to be inaccessible.
New to the scene, Hogan is already in transition between the bottled 2014 and the stillin-barrel 2015.
The latter is showing the benefits of the exceptional vintage as well as greater confidence from winemaker Jocelyn Hogan Wilson, formerly at La Bri.
Peter-Allan Finlayson’s Pinot Noirs (Crystallum) have long enjoyed a serious following. While the Mabalel vineyard is too young to deliver real complexity, the Cuvée Cinema is one of the Cape’s best examples.
The current release of the Peter Max (R240) is significantly less expensive, but at least as enjoyable.
Craven’s Clairette Blanche 2014, as well as the (intentionally) slightly pink 2015 Pinot Gris may be a bit geeky for some tipplers, but both have a linearity and authenticity about them — and at R135 per bottle, even the pricing is genuine. Marelise Niemann’s Momento selection includes a fabulous 2014 Chenin, where 15% Verdelho lifts the fruit and gives the wine freshness and precision.
Donovan Rall’s Chenin blend is equally fine, as is Trizanne Barnard’s Trizanne Signature white, (though here she works with Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc to weave her magic in a more Margaret River/Bordeaux kind of way).
Duncan Savage’s 2014 Semillon is delicious and accessible, while retaining a real core of freshness and fruit intensity.
JH Meyer’s wines offer a range of origins and styles.
I particularly liked the line-up of Pinots from three separate appellations — as far afield as Elgin and Craddock Peak.
All of the Zoo Biscuits — from the newcomers to those who have been making small quantities for several years — need to be taken seriously.
Mostly their pricing is consumer friendly — and considering how small the average production, you have to assume they have alternative sources of income if they aim to get through the year without collapsing under a burden of debt.