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south
african wine, part 4
Rustenberg
P.O.
Box 33, Stellenbosch 7599, South Africa
Tel: +27 21 809-1200
Fax: +27 21
809-1219
E-mail: wine@rustenberg.co.za
Website: www.rustenberg.co.za
Winemaker Adi Badenhorst in the
Rustenberg vineyards
[For a more recent review of Rustenberg's wines (2013)
see this article.]
One
of the Cape’s historic wine estates, Rustenberg was originally
established in the late 17th Century. The original property was
divided in two in the 19th century, and it eventually succumbed to
the twin perils of economic recession and phylloxera. In 1892 the
two properties were purchased (one by John X. Merriman, the other by
his brother in law Jacob Barry). The farms were revitalized, the
vineyards replanted on phylloxera-resistant American rootstocks, and
wine was made again. The two parts of the estate were reunited in
1941 when they were purchased in 1941 by Peter and Pamela Barlow,
parents of current owner Simon.
Rustenberg is a beautiful estate to visit, with a
substantial 160 hectares of vineyards on the slopes of the
Simonsberg and Heldeberg, with their characteristic red soils.
Annual crush here is an impressive 1000 tons, which is a lot for
such a high quality operation.
I arrived late afternoon, and I was shown around by
winemaker Adi Badenhorst [note added later: Adi has now left
Rustenberg and is making his own wines in the Swartland -
they're brilliant]. As well as being a bit of a dude, Adi is an
interesting person, and he’s making some  very impressive wines. Most of our time was spent
looking at the vineyards. I reckon you can learn a lot about a
producer by seeing what’s happening with their vines. Rustenberg
are going the Rhône route, planting Shiraz and Roussanne, among
other varieties. They also have an unusual vineyard with Pinot Noir
vines being grown on stakes (left), the way Syrah is grown in
the northern Rhône. There’s clearly some thinking going on here.
Rustenberg has made a big effort to plant with virus-free clones
that have been imported from France, and I reckon this shows in the
quality of the wine.
The 2004 Shiraz and Cabernet were being bottled, and we
had a quick try. The 2004 Shiraz is an impressive wine: it’s dark,
meaty, olivey, spicy and savoury. Delicious stuff. The 2004 Cabernet
is also a winner: well defined with good structure and nice fruit.
I tried a barrel sample of the 2005 Chardonnay, which
isn’t settled before fermentation, and undergoes a natural
ferment. It’s rich, slightly murky and shows good weight. Nicely
textured. The 2005 John X Merriman (Rustenberg’s red blend)
has a lovely tight, earthy, minerally fruity nose. It’s
well defined and a bit chocolatey with good tannic structure.
Delicious and quite serious – a steal for the UK retail price of
£9.99.
Then time to taste some bottled wines. There are two
quite distinct labels, with the name Brampton being used for the
more commercial wines and Rustenberg reserved for the Estate wines.
The Peter Barlow and the Five Soldiers Chardonnay are among the very
best of their type.
 Brampton
Sauvignon Blanc 2005
Very tanky yeasty, esteric edge to it. Quite fruity and primary.
Very good 82/100
Rustenberg Chardonnay 2003 Stellenbosch
Lovely nose: toasty and tight – quite rich and generous, with
some oak showing, but it’s classy oak. There’s a herbal
freshness, too. The palate is smooth, rich and toasty with nice
evolved nutty fruit and good freshness. Very good/excellent 91/100
Rustenberg Five Soldiers Chardonnay 2003
Stellenbosch
Quite an expressive, fresh minerally nose combining tight,
citrussy notes together with tight fruit and seamless oak. The
palate is rich, smooth, elegant and classy: not a big wine, but lots
of class and elegance. Very good/excellent 93/100
Brampton OVR 2004
A blend of Cab, Merlot and Shiraz. Expressive green leafy,
chalky edge to the nose, together with fresh red and black fruits.
The palate shows lovely fresh berry fruits underpinned by a subtly,
spicy minerally savoury structure. Good tannins. Very good+ 88/100
Brampton Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Mineralic, gravelly blackcurrant nose. The palate has nice
weight of pure black fruits with good structure from the grippy
tannins. A fresh fruit-driven style with good approachability and
some savouriness. Very good+ 89/100
Brampton Shiraz 2004
Sweet ripe fruits nose with lovely richness and a meaty, spicy
character. The palate is rich and full with lovely spiciness. Nice
dark fruits here. The purity of fruit and impressive structure work
well together. Very good/excellent 90/100
Rustenberg Peter Barlow 1999 Stellenbosch
A fantastic wine. Classic cedary, chalky, gravel edge to the
black fruits nose, showing some evolution and hints of tar. Very
fine and aromatic. The palate shows wonderful balance between the
dark fruits and the earthy, tannic structure. Good acid. A
wonderfully complete wine with potential to develop further. Very
good/excellent 94/100
Rustenberg Peter Barlow 2001 Stellenbosch
Sweet, open, opulent nose with lots of ripe black fruits. Very
rich, but with some seriousness, too. Rich, sweet dark fruits on the
palate with lovely structure and weight, together with a bit of
spiciness. Fine but firm tannins. A really serious effort with lots
of character: a wonderful wine. Very good/excellent 94/100
Wines tasted 12/05
Find
these wines with wine-searcher.com
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