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Intellego
Visiting South Africa's Swartland wine region, Part 4
Jurgen
Gouws
Intellego is the name of Jurgen Gouws'
new wine project. He’s the assistant winemaker at Lammershoek in
the Swartland, and has been doing a bit of his own home brew. I
tasted some of the wines on a visit to the cellars, and also bought
a bottle at the Wine Kollective in Riebeek Kasteel. I was really
impressed.
In the latest vintage, five barrels of
white were made, and three barrels of red. Jurgen started off in
2009 with 340 bottles, and this grew to 620 in 2010 and 1500 in
2011. So it’s pretty niche.
The Chenin comes from two sources: 65
year old vines on the Lammershoek farm, and another vineyard 22 km
from the ocean on the road from Malmesbury to Cape Town.
Fermentations are natural, and Jurgen has also played with skin
contact for his Chenin.
THE
WINES
Intellego Chenin Blanc 2009
WO Swartland
14%
alcohol. Pale yellow colour. Powerful, intense flavours of peach,
toast, citrus and pear with a lovely mineral freshness keeping the
richness at bay. It is ripe, rich and powerful, yet really fresh
with some appley notes. Wonderful stuff. 94/100
Chenin Blanc 2011 (final blend)
Mineral, reductive nose: lovely rich bold pear and white peach
fruit. Textured palate is rich yet fresh and mineral with lovely
precision. 92-94/100
Elementes Chenin 2011
3 weeks’ skin contact. Amazing aromatics with passion fruit
and peach notes. Lively stuff. The palate is lively and precise with
good acidity and nice skin character. A remarkable wine. 93-96/100
Intellego Red 2001
79% Syrah, the balance Mourvèdre and Grenache Blanc. Very
fresh, pure sweet berry fruits. Lively with lovely sweet fruit.
Fresh and pure with some structure. Good precision and definition.
90-92/100
THE
SWARTLAND REVOLUTION
Part 1: Dinner at Callie's
on the Porseleinberg
Part 2: Lammershoek
Part 3: Photos of
Lammershoek
Part 4: Intellego
Part 5: Testalonga
Part 6: Eben Sadie
and a Columella vertical tasting
Part 7: Mullineux
Family Wines
Part 8: Tobias/Bryan McRobert
Wines
tasted 11/11
Find these wines with wine-searcher.com
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