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Waterford
Estate
Focus on Stellenbosch, South Africa's most famous wine region, part
2
Website: www.waterfordestate.co.za
Waterford's Kevin Arnold
Next stop in my Stellenbosch journey was
Waterford Estate, my first visit here.
Kevin Arnold began Waterford Estate 12
years ago. He’d previously been winemaker at Rust en Vrede, and
found a partner willing to invest in a new project. The partner,
Jeremy Ord, had made money from a Johannesburg-based IT company.
‘He helped me fulfil my dream, to build and plant a winery and
vineyard,’ says Arnold.
The 120 hectare Stellenbosch estate, with
50 hectares of vineyards, was previously part of the Stellenrust
farm. 11 red grape varieties were planted, because Kevin wanted to
explore which varieties worked best, rather than just copying
everyone else. ‘Traditional Cabernet blends have been done: there
is so much more to do.’ The terroir here isn’t soil, but more
just rock and stone. ‘It’s very challenging viticulturally, but
very rewarding,’ says Arnold.
There has been no acidification in the
winery since 2004, which is unusual for Stellenbosch. ‘This has
made us more aware of our expression of terroir,’ reveals Arnold.
‘Acidification creates an imbalance that sometimes you never get
right.’
Kevin, until recently assisted by
winemaker Francois Haasbroek (who has just left to go it alone), is
clearly a thoughtful winemaker. There are lots of interesting
projects, and experiments, taking place here, such as a solera
system Chenin Blanc.
THE
WINES
Waterford Estate Sauvignon Blanc
Single Vineyard 2010 Stellenbosch, South Africa
Lively and precise with nice acidity and some minerality. There’s
a bit of richness and green herbal notes lurk in the background.
Precise and assertive. 90/100
Waterford Estate Chardonnay Single
Vineyard 2011 Stellenbosch, South Africa
Intense fig, peach and pear nose. Lively and aromatic. Sweet
textured and fruity palate with bready notes as well as peachy
fruit. Generous but not fat. 92/100
Waterford Estate Chardonnay Single
Vineyard 2007 Stellenbosch, South Africa
Golden colour. Textured, nutty and rich with peach and pear
fruit. Boldly flavoured and evolving nicely. Still precise. 92/100
Waterford Estate The Library
Collection SBS 2007 Stellenbosch, South Africa
71% Semillon, 29% Sauvignon Blanc, with overnight skin contact.
Yellow gold in colour, this has sweet aromatics, with notes of
honey, nuts, flowers and herbs. Rich, boldly textured palate shows
sweet, intense, ripe fruity with pear and spice, as well as some
oxidative notes. Quite unique: textured, rich and complex. 93/100
Waterford Estate The Library
Collection VSBC 2007 South Africa
50% Viognier (from the Swartland), 36% Sauvignon Blanc, 14%
Chenin Blanc. Complex, rich, nutty, spicy nose with some honeyed
richness and notes of melon and pear. The palate is bold and ripe
with rich texture and a savoury spicy tang. Very bold and intense,
almost viscous. 91/100
Waterford Estate The Library
Collection Antique CB NV Stellenbosch, South Africa
‘I think Chenin Blanc is a very exciting variety,’ says
Kevin Arnold. ‘I’m looking for new pays to push the flavour
button. We have ended up being too stereotyped in our approach.’
This Chenin is a non-vintage wine made in a solera system. Golden
colour. Intense, sweet, spicy nose of apricot, tangerine, nuts and
hay. Powerful, exotic palate is firm and rich with a viscous
mouthfeel and notes of nuts, herbs, hay and spice, with citrus and
apricot on the finish. It’s from 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004
vintages, and there’s a little bit of botrytis in here. 94/100
Waterford Pinot Noir 2010 Elgin, South
Africa
The fruit comes from Shannon’s vineyards in Elgin. Supple,
sweet and precise with elegant black cherry fruit and a savoury
twist. There’s a bit of grip on the finish. Lovely sweet texture.
Smooth and quite pure: purity is the key here. 92/100
Waterford Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
2008 Stellenbosch, South Africa
Smooth, sweet blackcurrant fruit nose with an elegant gravelly
edge. Fine with a hint of undergrowth. The palate is ripe with
lovely purity of fruit. Ripe but restrained with elegant gravelly
notes. Drink soon, I reckon. 92/100
Waterford Kevin Arnold Shiraz 2008
Stellenbosch, South Africa
11% Mourvèdre. Ripe, sweet, meaty black fruits nose. Sweet and
beguiling. The palate is very polished and textured with smooth ripe
dark fruits and some meatiness. Rich and seductive, but balanced.
93/100
Waterford Estate The Jem 2007
Stellenbosch, South Africa
This high-end red retails at 680 Rand a bottle. 9000 bottles
were made in 2007, and current production is 15 000 bottles. The
theory is north meets south, in that nine different red varieties
are used here. South is sunshine and warmth; north is austerity and
greener tannins. ‘The Jem is about elegance and finesse, not just
winemaker egos and wow-factor wines,’ says Kevin Arnold. Sweet,
lifted berry fruits nose leads to a supple, lush, complex palate.
There’s ripe cherry, plums, spice and blackberry here, made in a
lush, seductive style. Needs time to integrate? 92/100
Waterford Estate The Jem 2004
Stellenbosch, South Africa
Sweetly aromatic with ripe cherry, plum and blackberry fruit as
well as some warm spicy notes. The palate is ripe, lush and quite
textured with open black fruits and notes of spice, tar and soy
sauce. Ripe and quite complex. 94/100
Waterford Estate Library Collection BB
2004 Stellenbosch, South Africa
BB stands for Bordeaux blend, and this has a lush gravelly nose
that’s both sweet and savoury. The palate is ripe and dense
showing blackcurrant and blackberry with some spicy gravelly notes.
Sweet textured and nicely savoury. 91/100
Waterford Estate Library Collection MB
2004 Stellenbosch, South Africa
MB = Mediterranean blend. It’s Shiraz, Mourvèdre, Sangiovese
and Barbera. Warm, sweetly aromatic berry and black fruits nose.
Ripe and a bit meaty with some herby notes. The palate is supple and
ripe with nicely sweet fruit. Lush but well balanced with a hint of
mint. 92/100
STELLENBOSCH
REVISITED
 Part
1, Waterkloof
Part
2, Waterford
part
3, Reyneke
Part
4, Kanonkop
Part 5, Rustenberg
Part
6, Meerlust
Part
7, Delheim
Part 8,
Thelema
Part
9, Neil Ellis
Part
10, Tokara
Part
11, Oldenburg
Wines
tasted 03/12
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