News
5 October 2007
Dear Wine Lover,
I have always subscribed to the thinking that "A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world", but pressure to meet deadline for the November issue of WINE magazine prevented me from getting into the winelands during the past week. I was therefore grateful when a sample pack arrived from The Winery, run by British-born and French-raised Alex Dale and partners.
The Winery makes various ranges. Their most talked-about offering at the moment is probably Gravity 2005, an unconventional red blend consisting of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Viognier that is the flagship of the top-end Radford Dale range and one of the wines to be rated 5 Stars in the 2008 edition of the Platter guide.
The Black Rock range, meanwhile, has been designed to express the best of the Swartland and consists of just two wines, known simply as the White Blend and Red Blend, the 2006 vintage of both being what's currently on sale, each with a retail price of around R90 a bottle. These were the wines I had received and it was off to the neighbourhood restaurant to see how they would show next to a piece of chicken and mushroom pie.
The press kit that accompanied the wines suggests that "Swartland grapes are producing some of South Africa's most individual wines" and I can only agree. Think Columella, Palladius and both the white and the red Sequillo from Eben Sadie, Roullete and Roullete Blanc from Lammershoek and the white blend called simply Blanc from Scali.
The Black Rock White Blend 2006 consists of Chenin Blanc (59%), Chardonnay (39%) and Viognier (2%). What is striking about this wine is its full palate weight, which thanks to tangy acidity isn't too much to bear. It's a creditable addition to the emerging category of premium Chenin Blanc-driven blends and worth seeking out for those looking for something out of the ordinary and a bit challenging.
As to why Chenin and blends that have it as a major component are proving so successful, a key factor must be because there are so many older vineyards of this variety to utilise. There's widespread consensus that, in general, older vines make better quality wine and that's what makes Chenin such an asset for South Africa - it's still the country's most widely planted variety, making up 18.7% of the national vineyard in 2006 and with 56.9% of this being over 15 years old. In the case of the Black Rock White, the Chenin parcels used were between 40 and 55 years old, the Chardonnay 11, the Viognier five.
The Black Rock Red Blend 2006 contains Shiraz (66%), Carignan (13%), Grenache (9%), Mourvèdre (11%) and Viognier (1%). The press kit refers to it as "enigmatic", although I didn't find it too puzzling at all, liking it for its pure dark fruit, spicy tannins and dry finish.
While the wine is in no way frivolous, I experienced it as more approachable than its white counterpart. Only the Carignan portion was sourced from a vineyard of significant age, this being 31 years old, while the Shiraz and Grenache came from plantings varying in age from eight to 12 years, the Mourvèdre and Viognier five to seven years.
There is an increasing body of opinion that litre for litre South Africa is making more good white than red wine. As to why this is, the relative age of the country's white plantings compared to red is not the sole explanation but is certainly part of it. The Black Rock wines are a case in point: while the Red Blend is appealing, you feel it will only improve as the relevant vineyards mature; the White Blend is much closer to being the finished article.
Cheers
Christian Eedes
Deputy Editor, WINE magazine