Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
New release hails from the hills of Mcgregor
IN THE hills around the village of McGregor, the vegetation is a mix of Sonderend fynbos and Robertson Karoo, offering aromatic pleasure to weekenders and hikers.
The owners of the 78 hectare farm of Tanagra protect its flora and fauna – including outstanding birdlife – with much the same care that they lavish on their vineyards and orchards. Robert and Anette Rosenbach have just added a new guest cottage to their collection, an admirable example of simple, environmentally-friendly design, with solar panels providing electricity and heating. It’s perched on a rise surrounded by fynbos, an ideal setting for sampling the farm’s newly released single vineyard cabernet, made with wild yeasts.
Garnet in hue, with smooth but discernible tannins, the wine is fresh and juicy, with herby fynbos on the nose – or was it from the bushes surrounding the stoep? Made for early drinking, but sure to reward cellaring, this limited release offers great value at R70. It was made by cellarmaster Lourens van der Westhuizen of Arendsig, who also crafted Tanagra’s 2012 shiraz and Carah, a blend of the previous two, both also selling from the farm for R70.
Those enjoying the cab with their main course could follow with the same grapes in another guise as digestif: the skins and pips of Tanagra’s cab have been distilled into a superior marc or grappa, selling at R200. This is just one of several quality grappas and eaux de vie emanating from this boutique distillery.
Back to cab – and to the traditional region where it excels: among recent releases from Stellenbosch cellars is the impressive 2010 Fleur du Cap unfiltered, which has been voted best South African red Bordeaux varietal priced over £10 (R155) and regional trophy winner at Decanter World Wine Awards in London. With beautifully integrated fruit and oak and smooth but firm tannins, it’s well-priced at R120.
To the Helderberg, where Waterkloof ’s extraordinary hillside cellar and restaurant never fail to impress. From their Circumstance range comes the 2007 cabernet, classically elegant, ready to drink, complexity acquired through careful treatment of individual vineyard blocks, traditionally fermented in open fermenters using wild yeasts. It sells for R120.
Plaisir de Merle’s cellarmaster, Niel Bester, added a few splashes of merlot and shiraz and a soupçon of petit verdot to his 2009 cabernet sauvignon, a full-bodied wine with smooth tannins that could benefit from further ageing. It costs R150.
That Wellington can also produce complex, classic cabs with a long finish is well proven by the Bosman family’s 2007 cab, released now that it is ready to enjoy. Various clones have contributed fruit and minerality, blended by winemaker Corlea Fourie into a well-balanced concentrated whole, selling from the cellar for R150.
This round- up of good cabs would not be complete without returning to Stellenbosch for a glass of Knorhoek’s roaring 2007 vintage, a fitting flagship that marks the 10th anniversary of fine cabernet production on this historic farm. Winemaker Arno Albertyn added a little merlot and cab franc to his wine, which sells for a little under R100 from the farm.
The king of black grapes continues to hold its own in South Africa, occupying 12 percent of vineyard area. While shiraz is making inroads in the popularity stakes, many consumers still look for a Cape cabernet sauvignon to pair with fine fare.