August 2008 Wine Club Selections

South Africa's Finest In the year 2008, South Africa holds rank as the ninth-largest producer of wine in the world, supplying just over three percent of the world's wine. But South Africa hasn't always enjoyed a prominent position as a quality winemaking region. As recently as the early nineties, winemaking within this breath-taking landscape was heavily regulated and controlled by the government, meaning that experimentation and improvement on varietals was largely at a standstill. And due to sanctions associated with the Apartheid regime, South African wine was largely cut off from the rest of the world. But times have changed, and today South African winemakers are embracing their freedom to experiment with a renewed vigor. Gone are the days when skunky Pinotage and uninspired Steens characterized their winemaking style. Today we're seeing velvety Bordeaux varietals, rich, ripe Viogniers, Chenin Blancs with real character and (my personal favorite in this region) world-class Syrahs that truly do this innovative and diverse country justice. Cheers to the new South Africa!

2007 Simonsig Chenin Blanc Grape variety: Chenin Blanc Region: Stellenbosch, South Africa Food pairing: Grilled Shrimp with Peri-Peri Chenin Blanc has a somewhat tumultuous track record, both in South Africa and in the U.S. The grape originates in the Loire Valley of France, where it's still used to produce crisp, clean Vouvray, sparkling Cremants, and highly prized dessert wines. It was brought to South Africa in the mid to late seventeenth century. (Simonsig's founder, in fact, Jacques Malan, was among the first to plant it in Stellenbosch.) The white grape varietal enjoyed so much success through import to the U.S. in the 1960's that both South Africa and the U.S. overplanted the varietal in the 1970's. As is often the case, this began to undermine the grape's reputation, as it gradually became known as an unrefined jug wine. The heyday of Chenin went out as the popularity of Chardonnay came in, but the cyclical nature of wine trends has brought Chenin back into the spotlight as South African producers like Stellenbosch have paid rigorous attention to quality. This bottling is crisp and slightly tropical, with flavors of ripe pear, green apple, pineapple and honeydew. 2005 Neil Ellis Sincerely Shiraz Grape variety: Shiraz Region: Stellenbosch, South Africa Food pairing: Summer vegetable ratatouille For some years now, Neil Ellis has been known around the South African winelands as the "individualist winemaker," leasing space and freelancing with his own wines. So it may have surprised some of his colleagues when he decided to enter into a partnership with Hans Peter Schroder. But then, one look at the land and the cellar Hans was offering, and everyone understood. The Neil Ellis winery is situated on one of the most breathtaking landscapes of the Jonkershoek Valley. And thank goodness the wines do their surroundings justice. Ellis makes three Syrahs under the Neil Ellis portfolio: one of which he calls a Syrah and two which he calls Shiraz. Why the discrepancy? He sees his one and only "Syrah" as Old-World and Rhone-like in style. But this one is a "Shriaz": definitively 'New World' in composition. A stony, somewhat restrained plum nose gives way to ripe red fruit and a moderately spiced finish. If we're getting particular, I'd call it half-way between the Rhone and Australia...maybe a Syraz? No matter what you call it, it's friendly, delicious wine.

2006 Spice Route Viognier Grape variety: Viognier Region: Swartland, South Africa Food pairing: Vegetable Biryani with dried apricots and almonds The mark of a wine region that has come into its own, as South Africa recently has, is the ability to take a varietal and make it uniquely indicative of that region. While the Viogniers of France often exhibit a more restrained floral aroma, those of South Africa , particularly those from the hot dry region of the Swartland, tend to express themselves through a much more vibrant tropical character. This one in particular, a joint venture by Charles Back (of Fairview and Goats do Roam) Jabulani Ntshangase, John Platter and Charles Webb, and winemakers Charl du Plessis and Abraham de Klerk, is one big glass full of fragrant apricots. Full-bodied and bright-fruited, it carries very dominant notes of stone fruits accompanied by a hint of orange peel and almond. Pair it with foods that use similar ingredients, particularly those of Thai, Indian or Middle-Eastern origin. 2004 Mulderbosch Faithful Hound Grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc Region: Stellenbosch, South Africa Food pairing: Cumin-crusted and grilled pork chop When the farm that now houses the Mulderbosch winery was acquired in 1989, it was referred to by the surrounding community as "vuilplasie," meaning "dirty little farm." But the owners saw potential in the land, which benefits from a special wind-tunnel positioning within Stellenbosch that cools the vines during hot summer months. Winemaker Mike Dobrovic came aboard, and quickly earned a reputation as one of the most celebrated white wine-makers in South Africa. But the Faithful Hound is a special project in red wine-making: the only one within their line to warrant its own unique label separate from the rest. The name honors a dog named Bos who watched over the farm when it was abandoned following his owner's death. This year's vintage is full of currant, coffee and spice flavors.

2006 Boekenhoutskloof "The Chocolate Block" Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon, Viognier Region: Franschhoek, South Africa Food pairing: Cocoa-dusted beef tenderloin The folks at Boekenhoutskloof like to do things their own way. They adamantly refuse to jump on the "single vineyard bandwagon," preferring instead to source the fruit for their eclectic blend from wherever they believe the best example of each varietal is grown. So though this wine is crafted in the beautiful valley of Franschhoek, the Syrah hails from the dry land of Malmesbury, the Grenache comes from the country's oldest Grenache vines in Citrusdal, the Cinsault from old vines in Wellington while the Cabernet and Viognier are from the Boekenhoutskloof estate vineyards. That's one well-traveled wine. The curious name refers to a years-old rumor that the winemakers were up to something fishy in the cellar, adding chocolate and spices to their wines to achieve such a concentrated, darkly expressive character. Their lips are sealed on the matter, preferring not to dignify such scandalous accusations with a direct response. They'd rather let you taste for yourself. 2003 Kanonkop Paul Sauer Grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon (63%), Cabernet Franc and Merlot Region: Stellenbosch, South Africa Food pairing: Braised ostrich if available, braised duck breast if not In seventeenth-century South Africa, a special cannon was fired in the port of Cape Town to alert the dwellers of outlying areas that a ship was coming into Table Bay for a stopover on their voyage between Europe and the Far East. When the cannon was fired, farmers would rush toward the port city to sell and trade their produce to the sailors who had spent months at sea. Kanonkop named their winery after this tradition, and included a sketch of this canon, which still stands, on the label. Paul Sauer is the flagship wine of their lineup, the cream of the crop in a line of great red wines. The Bordeaux-style blend is more elegant than the Cabernet Sauvignon alone, and exhibits dark berry flavors, minerality indicative of the clay-rich soils on which it grows, and Old World complexity. An excellent example of Old World inspired wine grown in a New World environment.

2004 Villafonte C Series Grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon (82%), Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec Region: Paarl, South Africa Food pairing: Braised short ribs The Vilafonte winemaking venture was created under the Field Of Dreams model ("if you make it, they will come.") While many vineyards make the wine first and THEN determine where the market for it will be, Vilafonte started out with the concept of being the first joint winemaking venture between South Africa and the United States aimed specifically at the American market. With managing partner Mike Ratcliffe (South Africa), winegrower Philip Freese (U.S., formerly of Opus One, Far Niente, and Cakebread), and winemaker Zelma Long (U.S., formerly of Robert Mondavi, Simi and Moet Hennessey,) the plan was simple: focus on red wine, focus on the soil, and focus on making it luxurious. With obsession to detail, they created two cuvees: the Series M, which is more Merlot-based, and this, the Series C, which is Cabernet-based. While the concept itself is loosely adopted from the traditional Bordeaux system of Left Bank producing Cabernet-dominated blends and Right Bank producing Merlot-dominated blends, the taste is very, very much aligned with the Napa style. A dead ringer in many ways for a Napa Cabernet blend, the Series C is intensely rich and opulent, dark-fruited, and carries a well-integrated dose of toasty oak tannins. A fun wine to surprise your Napa-phile friends with, who will never in a million years guess that the origin is South Africa. 2004 Sadie Family Columella Grape variety: Syrah (80%), Mourvedre Region: Swartland, South Africa Food pairing: Duck breast with wild strawberry and balsamic vinegar reduction One thing I get a kick out of in the wine business is hitting on a delicious wine just before it's widely recognized as truly great. Sure, once a big score comes out, everyone flocks to buy that vintage. But sometimes it's fun to taste the wine that was made a year or two before that grand recognition and witness the wine as it was coming into its own. This is one such bottling. Eben Sadie, the proprietor, viticulturalist and winemaker of Sadie Family Vineyards, sunk everything he had into making this wine a reality. After several years as winemaker at Spice Route (see also Reserve Selections), Sadie wanted to strike out on a project of his own. So he sold almost everything he had, including his retirement annuities and his private wine collection, to make it happen. He leased some vineyards and got to work, painstakingly crafting his first vintages from 2000 to 2004. From the start, every vintage received at least 90 points from the Wine Spectator and Steven Tanzer, but that didn't quite put him in the big leagues. It was in the 2005 vintage that the winery finally got the recognition Sadie had been waiting for: a score of 95 points from the Wine Spectator. Critic James Molesworth lauded the achievement as the first classically-rated wine from South Africa in that publication, proclaiming, "Welcome to the majors, South Africa." But before that could all happen, there was the 2004 vintage. A 92-pointer itself, it may not have earned the hype just yet. But with incredibly refined, classy flavors ranging from florals to sweet smokiness, red berries and minerals, and a smooth, seamless finish, it was already apparent that this wine was soon destined for greatness.