Comments on: Stellenbosch’s One Grape Question
http://www.winegoggle.co.za/index.php/2012/05/01/stellenboschs-one-grape-question/
Wine, food and fun through rosé-tinted spectacles.Tue, 23 Apr 2013 03:56:28 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1By: Blake Carrington
http://www.winegoggle.co.za/index.php/2012/05/01/stellenboschs-one-grape-question/comment-page-1/#comment-2707
Blake CarringtonWed, 02 May 2012 20:33:35 +0000http://www.winegoggle.co.za/?p=2024#comment-2707What if it so happens that some 'brands' which are so-called mono-variety Shiraz wines for instance, are blends of wines made from Shiraz vines from two, three or more different clones, and likely on different rootstock and even more likely on different slopes and on different soils and most certainly selected from different barrels and back-blended with a tiny percentage of current vintage wines for freshness and fruit - this all on a standard-sized estate of between 50 and 100 ha. This is pure brand, as the proprietor seeks to differentiate his offer - granted if he or she is indeed clever enough. Yes, style as well, but perhaps this is when style and brand converge. Surly this holds true for Bordeaux as well. And more, what if 'origin character' is so diluted that in a blind tasting and especially in a blind-sided tasting a modern Stellenbosch Cab rides on the same saddle as a the finest modern Bordeaux wines. So varietal character reigns supreme, thanks to the modern Bordeaux consultant who created faceless, uniform wines from the Gironde to the Eerste River. Lastly, Stellenbosch Cab, or let's say the finest Stellenbosch Cab examples are found in that rich belt towards Paarl which include Kanonkop and Le Bonheur. This is terroir Cab, the others need to catch up still, unfortunately and do so by making block-buster stuff. Impressive, but only for sniffing, spitting and perhaps bragging. The exception is Le Riche, which pioneered a particular style through brilliant winemaker Etienne.What if it so happens that some ‘brands’ which are so-called mono-variety Shiraz wines for instance, are blends of wines made from Shiraz vines from two, three or more different clones, and likely on different rootstock and even more likely on different slopes and on different soils and most certainly selected from different barrels and back-blended with a tiny percentage of current vintage wines for freshness and fruit – this all on a standard-sized estate of between 50 and 100 ha. This is pure brand, as the proprietor seeks to differentiate his offer – granted if he or she is indeed clever enough. Yes, style as well, but perhaps this is when style and brand converge. Surly this holds true for Bordeaux as well. And more, what if ‘origin character’ is so diluted that in a blind tasting and especially in a blind-sided tasting a modern Stellenbosch Cab rides on the same saddle as a the finest modern Bordeaux wines. So varietal character reigns supreme, thanks to the modern Bordeaux consultant who created faceless, uniform wines from the Gironde to the Eerste River. Lastly, Stellenbosch Cab, or let’s say the finest Stellenbosch Cab examples are found in that rich belt towards Paarl which include Kanonkop and Le Bonheur. This is terroir Cab, the others need to catch up still, unfortunately and do so by making block-buster stuff. Impressive, but only for sniffing, spitting and perhaps bragging. The exception is Le Riche, which pioneered a particular style through brilliant winemaker Etienne.
]]>By: Dermot Nolan MW
http://www.winegoggle.co.za/index.php/2012/05/01/stellenboschs-one-grape-question/comment-page-1/#comment-2702
Dermot Nolan MWTue, 01 May 2012 15:21:33 +0000http://www.winegoggle.co.za/?p=2024#comment-2702Hmmm, maybe a red from Klein Constantia rather than a Stellenbosch? Even so, given the the preponderance of fine reds in Stellenbosch then Stellenbosch can lay claim to being the preeminent district in South Africa, although there can be a tendency to rest on laurels.
However, why are blends just brands? I accept that many blends, world-wide, tend to be in the branded style but, even allowing for the dilution of the blessed concept of terroir which blending guarantees, is it not true that many of the fine wines of Bordeaux show origin character every bit as much as varietal?
True, Mosel riesling, Northern Rhone syrah and Australian shiraz, Burgundian pinot noir and chardonnay are all the ultimate origin wines and are all, by and large, mono-varietal but I think "blends are irrelevant. Blends are brands, not styles" is by no means obvious at all, especially in the South African context.Hmmm, maybe a red from Klein Constantia rather than a Stellenbosch? Even so, given the the preponderance of fine reds in Stellenbosch then Stellenbosch can lay claim to being the preeminent district in South Africa, although there can be a tendency to rest on laurels.
However, why are blends just brands? I accept that many blends, world-wide, tend to be in the branded style but, even allowing for the dilution of the blessed concept of terroir which blending guarantees, is it not true that many of the fine wines of Bordeaux show origin character every bit as much as varietal?
True, Mosel riesling, Northern Rhone syrah and Australian shiraz, Burgundian pinot noir and chardonnay are all the ultimate origin wines and are all, by and large, mono-varietal but I think “blends are irrelevant. Blends are brands, not styles” is by no means obvious at all, especially in the South African context.
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