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For one of the oldest and most exciting winemaking areas in the new world, we have none other than French Protestants to thank. The Huguenots brought regional grapes from France with them to their new home in the Dutch colony of South Africa in the early 1600’s. These new immigrants, seeking freedom from Roman Catholic oppression, mad ether way through Constantia, and up into shadow below the Simonsberg Mountain; an area we call Stellenbosch.
If it weren’t for the phylloxera epidemic, the vines planted in Stellenbosch would be some of the oldest vines in the world. The wine of South Africa was world famous at the time, having even received the attention of the exiled French emperor Napoleon himself. Considering the area’s heat and the ability of growers to easily stretch yields as high as possible because of it, quality diminished and the area slowly lost its reputation for fine quality wines.
Today, however, Stellenbosch in particular is offering a product unlike nowhere else in the world: a fantastic value proposition challenging the norms of both the old world and the new world. Stellenbosch is delineated into several different areas called wards. These are similar to the French Lieu-dit system. Soils throughout the area are relatively similar, with granite and sandstone making up the majority of the regional soil. Altitude is a different story. The altitude in Stellenbosch varies greatly depending on whether the winery is located on the plains, or closer to the Simonsberg Mountain or Hottentot Holland-hills.
Throughout the region several varieties are grown. The majority of red from Stellenbosch is Cabernet or Merlot (Bordeaux blends), and Syrah, though Pinotage, a crossing of Pinot Noir and Cinsault is not uncommon as well. The red wines are brisk and have old-world charm with new-world fruitiness. The altitude allows the grapes to ripen slowly and mature flavors are born present in the grapes. The area climate-wise is on average just a few degrees warmer than Bordeaux, making this a primo area for the Cabernet-Merlot blends that are so common.
Because of the relative age of this wine growing region, the OVP was established to protect the older vines in the area from being replaced with new higher-yielding vines. They lobby for the protections for vines over thirty-four years old; this organization is especially active in Bottelary, the ward with the highest density of older vines.
Along with the stellar reds this area is known for, there are also some fantastic whites, mostly grown outside of the official wards, closer to False Bay to the south of Stellenbosch. Chenin Blanc, brought by the French huguenot pilgrims in the seventeenth century is still the dominant white grape, though the style differs significantly from what is planted in the Loire Valley. This is a thicker, more honeyed flavor, with essences of honeysuckle, butterscotch, and white peach, though with the same lightning bold of acidity found in Anjou.
The largest ward by overall size is Simonsberg-Stellenbosch ward which is shared with the region of Paarl, and envelops the south side of the Simonsberg mountain. There are only roughly twenty-five wineries here. Soils here are red clay, not dissimilar to the red dirt soils of the Texas High Plains that I wrote about a while ago. The soil is decent draining but with added cooling properties suitable for Merlot. Better draining sandstone areas are selected for Cabernet Sauvignon in this ward. The wines here are known for their ageability, in fact, due to the harsh tannins associated with the area, a lot of these wines are required to be cellared a few years to allow the secondary flavors to develop, much like a good Bordeaux.
Delheim has a fantastic pilotage called Vera Cruz, which comes from the foothills of the mountain and displays extraordinary plum and dark fruit character, but behind the fruit there are Burgundy-esque notes of truffle, dijon mustard, earthy forest floor and leather that develop on the palette. The soil here is the red clay that I discussed earlier, with heaps of granite similar to the galet roulée of the southern Rhône. Overall a very complex and delicious drinker on its own, also fantastic with game. These stones reflect light onto the fruit to ripen the grapes at the higher altitudes. This Pinotage can be had for around sixty dollars, so the value is fairly good as well.
Banghoek is another one of the seven wards, that lies just to the southeast of the Simonsberg ward, and directly south of the Simonsberg Mountains. This is more of a hilly region and the varied terrain and altitude levels lead to a lot of desirable north-facing slopes and all-day sun exposure to help ripen the grapes to their fullest capacity relatively slowly. This allows the complex esters to develop within the grapes and create a unique bouquet.
Wines from Banghoek are generally less tannic than wines to the direct north, again due to the hilly slopes and larger percentage of granite in the soils. These wines have an explosive ripeness and gammons that carries secondary notes of tar, almond, fennel and brash red fruit. This ward notably is cooler than Simonsberg as well, as the breeze is catapulted through the Simonsberg Mountains and onto the rolling hills of Banghoek.
Banghoek’s cooling conditions make it ideal for delightful Merlot, with rich structure and glossy finish. Try Delaire Graff Banghoek Reserve Merlot for an example of this. It’s a complex wine much in the style of right-bank Bordeaux, and reminds me of a Vin de Garage from Pomerol. It has an eclectic palette of cinnamon, cassis, tobacco, with a slight brisk of sage, something one would expect more from a garrigue region, like Provence. The structure is very fine and the balance is even and refreshing.
If you have ever visited the Stellenbosch, you’re probably familiar with the Cape Floral nature preserve just outside town. This is an area dedicated to preserving the natural ecological area surrounding the vineyards of the Jongershoek ward. This beautiful natural field is full of rolling hills, small farms, and of course, wineries.
Jongershoek is famous for its white wine, being closer to false bay where the mitigating maritime climate means an easier ripening season for the grapes and a strikingly delightful acidity, with salinic note wrought on by the maritime winds from the South. The wines here are known for their honeyed and floral characteristics. The driving force behind these flavors is the incredible amount of gnarled older vines of Chenin Blanc - these wines are said to be a lot like Bordeaux Semillon.
That being said, the Neil Ellis Cabernet Sauvignon is something to write home about. This old-world style delight is light for cabernet, but does not lack complexity at all. There are no unripe characteristics about this wine, but it has and incredible drinkability, and delicate minerality. Flavors of blackberry and chocolate jump across the palette, as well as baking spices, bay leaf and peagravel. These wines spend eighteen months in new french oak, and this imparts a rustic sense of tannin and almond flavors that will develop through the years, allowing one to lay these wines down for a long while.
Polkdraai, on the opposite side of the valley to the far west is an area producing some exciting Chenin Blanc. These wines are known for their waxy floral characteristics and likeness to chamomile and their enveloping grassy edge. The soils here are properly good-draining and mixed sand and sandstone soils providing excellent minerality. Polkdraai is at a common elevation of about 200m above sea level, so one of the lower areas, making grape ripening and harvest come sooner.
This is good for Chenin Blanc, as the wines are able to retain their acidity, and their secondary characteristics even when the soils are as fast draining and thin as they are. some areas here have mixed granite and clay soils that are well suited to red wines, although Bordeaux blends and Syrah are less common in general in this area. Merlot seems to be more commonly bottled as a single variety by the wineries in the Polkdraai.
Semillon is also quite a popular variety here as the ocean breezes allow for regulation of temperature, and keep this lower elevation area cooler during the summers, replicating the affect the Atlantic trade winds have on Bordeaux (Entre-deux-Mers). Some off-dry styles are even made of both Chenin and Semillon.
Stellenbosch Hills Winery makes a Chenin Blanc, and Sauvignon Blanc blend that is easy-drinking, light, delicious, and captures the acid profile of these incredible grapes very well. The wine begins with notes of humus, earth, and pine needles, but with a spellbinding fury, shifts the drinkers focus to its tingling acidity, and flavors of key lime, quince, cilantro, and polished silver. This wine is strikingly good for the beach, or to enjoy with some seafood. The flavor finishes with honeyed lemon and ginger. A very complex, and delightful drinking experience.
Northeast is Bottelary Hills, the second largest ward in terms of size, with several wineries making wine from older vines. This ward runs along the popular wine route R304, and the M22. These are fantastic roads to tour wineries on if you are ever in Stellenbosch for a visit. Up and down the street are some very famous producers, and wine tour limousines are available to take you to a selection of local favorites.
This ward has brown soils, interspersed with sandstone marl, and granite plutons to keep the vines warm and ripening. It’s further away from the bay than Polkdraai, but still is affected by the oceanic breezes, and their temperature regulating affect on the vines. These soils are less well draining and the altitude is also a bit higher and less variable than the surrounding areas, but this area is especially well suited to incredible Pinotage, and Cabernet Sauvignon that is produced here.
But what really draws the attention of wine lovers, is the area’s incredible ability, due to its proximity, to produce extremely interesting white wines, especially single-variety bottles. The Ahrens Family Bottelary Chenin Blanc is an example of this masterful design. With notes of peach, lychee, pear and wet granite, this thriller of a wine is as complex as white wines get. The aromas are reminiscent of Chablis, but with the striking acidity of Chenin Blanc, and a bit more body to carry the wine on the palette.
Demarcated as an official ward in 1997, Devon Valley is the ward second closest to Stellenbosch proper, and possibly the most coveted in terms of quality. The rugged terrain here is part of the terroir, as this area is flanked on all sides by hills left over by glacial recession. Altitude here can range from about 600m, deep into the valley, all the way to 1200m, towards the hills in the north.
This region is pretty well distanced from water, and is closer to two making it easily accessible to wine tourists. The area boasts some of the most interesting and exciting Bordeaux blends in Stellenbosch. The granite here stretches to bedrock and is buried under a thin layer of red dirt. Roots struggle to find water and nutrients below thousands of years worth of compressed rock. The wines captivated the palette and express this hard earned fight in loads of cassis, tobacco, and black pepper flavors elaborated upon by a rich tannic bite. These may be some of the most refined and powerful wines in Stellenbosch.
Clos Malverne has been making wine in the Stellenbosch region for a long time, and the wines speak volumes to the production quality of the region as a whole. Clos Malverne is a very reasonably priced wine producer with many different offerings including the regional specialty that is Pinotage. Their Reserve Pinotage is a fantastic buy for a byob situation, or just an all-around good pairing with game. It’s full, rich, and oaky, with zest of plum, blackcurrant, stewed strawberry, and tobacco smoke. It has a wonderful secondary palette offering leather, and saffron.
Finally, the last ward is Papegaaiberg, which lies just to the south of the Devon Valley, nestled snugly on the southern valley, bordering Stellenbosch itself. The wine made here is few and far between, but the keen examples are worthy of praise. This area is relatively flatter and lies at about 600m above sea level. The Eerste river separates this region from town, and allows for some temperature regulation. Soils here are similar to those in the Devon valley: mixed granite below red dirt marl.
One of the most famous, and the second oldest producers, is located in Papegaaiberg. Neethlingshof winery has an incredible reputation for quality. Their Pinotage is admired for having excellent balance. The strong, grippy tannin, and nice red plum flavors, with a bit of black pepper in the forepalette is enough to make anyone rave about this wine. Their Cabernet Sauvignon is probably the best in Stellenbosch - a real treasure, if you can find it. This structured monster of a wine is full of dark cherry and allspice flavors, wrapped in oaky-almond and Semois pipe tobacco. An all around incredible wine.
That's all,
~K
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