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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