Wine is incredible, an ever changing and evolving entity that has been produced, studied and enjoyed for thousands of years, but still you learn something new every day! At Buxtons La Cave we have had the privilege of forming close friendships with most of the top winemakers/vineyard owners in South Africa, and it is these relationships — and the knowledge gained from these exceptional individuals – that I would like to share with you.
Terroir: That beautiful French word that is so hard to say and even more difficult to understand, is used to describe that which matters in the vineyard itself – soil, climate, wind, temperature, proximity to the ocean, aspect (the lie of the vineyards in relation to the sun).
Before a vine variety is planted, the winemaker – who knows what will work best for each variety – will take these points into consideration, as each grape prefers different and unique surroundings. This month legendary winemaker of Hartenberg, Carl Schultz, explains the impact of soil on his wine, especially his incredible range of Shiraz.
“At Hartenberg Estate we’re fortunate to farm at an unique part of the Cape where the soils are so fragmented and changeable over a very short distance, that one finds eight different types of soils! Nowhere is the effect of these different soils more dramatic than in the four different styles of Shiraz’s we produce,” says Carl.
Estate Shiraz: “As a young (at the time!) winemaker joining the estate in 1993 I quickly realised that the wines made from the different soils/sites showed vastly different aroma and flavour profiles. The estate had built its reputation since the late 1960’s, consistently producing a high end shiraz, simply known as the Estate Shiraz.”
Gravel Hill: “By 1995, after the annual blind tasting of the different vineyards, it was clear that there was a single vineyard producing unique aromatics of subtle spice. Violets and perfumed herbaceous notes. The palate was linear, classically structured and had fine grainy tannins. The vineyard has no soil … only stone … hence the name of the wine Gravel Hill.”
The Stork: “Visits to the Barossa had me inquisitive about the possibility of growing Shiraz , the most vigorous of all varieties on deep, ochre red `Terra Rossa` type soils. The soils are loamy in character, metres deep and have no stone fraction. The vineyard was planted in 1998 and the first wine was made in 2001. We launched it in 2003 and named it after the owner Ken Mackenzie who passed away that same year. The Stork was born, a big rich, brooding, blockbuster of a wine, all black and red fruit, iron fist in a velvet glove! The current, 2008 Stork was crowned the World’s Best Shiraz at the 2012 Syrah Du Monde competition held annually in France.”
The Doorkeeper Shiraz: “The fourth Shiraz we produce is our newest and sells for under R80.”
Buxtons La Cave liquors in La Lucia Mall are offering the following wines on special for March only: Gravel Hill, R750; The Stork, R379; Estate Shiraz, R135 and the Doorkeeper, R70.
031 572 6073
e-mail lacave@telkomsa.net