Waterkloof
Focus on Stellenbosch, South Africa's most famous wine region, part
1
The striking sculpture at the
entrance to Waterkloof
I
first visited South Africa in 2003. It was a holiday, but I managed
to sneak in some visits to wineries in Stellenbosch and Constantia.
Two years later, I visited again, and this time wine was the sole
focus of the trip. Stellenbosch and Paarl were the two regions I
concentrated on. Since then, I have been back a few times, but I've
focused on other regions, such as the Swartland, Elgin and Elim, and
– unintentionally – avoided Stellenbosch.
Looking across the Waterkloof
property
While
Stellenbosch is the biggest and most visible of South Africa’s
wine regions, it hasn't always been the most dynamic. And in a fast
changing wine scene, with good new producers cropping up all the
time, it’s easy to be distracted and to forget the Cape’s
largest and most important region. So the focus of this trip was to
rediscover Stellenbosch; to visit some of the historically important
wineries who are doing good work, and also to check out some of the
newcomers making waves.
I
began my trip at Waterkloof, who fall into the latter category. It
was purchased by UK wine merchant Paul
Boutinot in 2003. ‘It’s an indulgence,’ said Paul, when I
interviewed him a couple of years ago. ‘I want to make wines that
I like.’ He reveals that he spent 10 years actively searching for
the right vineyard site: one that could make fine wine in natural
balance.
The view from the
winery
The
location of Waterkloof is pretty impressive, with a dramatically
modern winery perched on the top of a hill (the Schapenberg).
We’re on the outer fringes of Stellenbosch here, in Somerset West,
on the boundary of the Helderberg, looking out to False Bay, which
is just 4 km away. It’s a windy place here, with the sea breezes
blowing in pretty consistently. For this reason, the spectacular
restaurant has to be indoors: even in the middle of summer, it
wouldn't be comfortable sitting outside. But for wine quality, cool
and breezy is good, in this otherwise warm part of the world.
Christiaan Loots
I
began my visit by being shown round the estate by Christiaan Loots,
the farm manager. Waterkloof is one of the few South African estates
to have adopted biodynamic viticulture, and this is taken quite
seriously here.
Soil from a vineyard managed biodynamically from
the start
Just a few yards away, soil from a vineyard
managed conventionally, with herbicides, until recently
In
a significant shift from the norm, Waterkloof have decided to
replace all their tractors with horses. The 53 hectares of vineyards
(the entire farm is 120 hectares) are in the process of being
divided into 8 hectare blocks, each of which will be worked by one
horse. A tractor works at 4 km/h cultivating the soil; a horse at
3.8 km/h, so it isn’t a huge difference.
The winery
To
make this shift possible, they have just bought extra horses. There
are currently 6 cows and 6 horses on the farm; they need 7 more
horses, but it is difficult to get draught horses in South Africa
and they need to be trained. Each horse has a cart, with brakes –
after all, some of the vineyards are on hillsides. A horse can pull
1.8 tons, but on the hills this is kept to 900 kg.
The
ever-present wind stunts the growth of the vines, making canopy
control easier. It also dries the vines quickly after rain, which
helps lessen disease risk. We had a look at two vineyards. One was a
Chardonnay vineyard that had only recently been converted to
biodynamics. The soil was hard. A short distance away (tens of
metres), a new Sauvignon Blanc vineyard, biodynamic from the outset,
showed lovely friable soil.
Paul Boutinot, owner of Waterkloof
One
pest problem in South African vineyards is mealybug, which is a
vector for leaf roll virus. The strategy for dealing with mealybugs
here has been smart. First, they increased the biodiversity on the
farm. Then they brought back wasps and ladybirds, the natural
enemies of mealybugs. Initially, mealybug levels had been at 800-900
per block. This was brought down to 40 or 50. Now they are even
fewer, and it is no longer a problem. The levels are monitored by
pheromone traps, and the highest levels are at the boundary with
neighbouring farms, around 30 per block.
Waterkloof
have also set up fynbos corridoors around the farm, linking areas of
native vegetation in order to provide a better habitat to encourage
biodiversity. Cover cropping is employed on a four year cycle, and
then weeds are allowed to grow on their own accord. Christiaan tells
me that they are looking to develop a horse-drawn device that cuts
the weeds down without disturbing the soil.
Worm farm
He
also showed me a worm farm, which has been developed to break down
the cardboard waste. The plan is to aerate this broken down
material, and then eventually to return it to the vineyard.
From this, to...
Then
I met with winemaker Werner Englelbrecht (who has since left
Waterkloof). He works in a thoughtful
way, as naturally as possible. He rarely adds acid (which is very
unusual in South Africa) and uses only natural fermentations. Until
the impressive new winery was constructed in 2009, the wines were
made at Avondale, Paarl, in rented space.
THE
WINES
These
notes are from three separate tastings, with month/year indicated in
brackets
Waterkloof
Circumtance Sauvignon Blanc 2011 Stellenbosch, South Africa
Real interest here: precise, pure, lively and mineral with some herb
notes. Very pure with a bit of saltiness and nice texture. 91/100
(03/12)
Waterkloof
Circumstance Sauvignon Blanc 2012 Stellenbosch, South Africa Very fresh and bright with clean, pure fruit and nice acidity.
Citrus and mineral notes. 89/100 (09/12)
Waterkloof
Circumstance Chardonnay 2010 Stellenbosch, South Africa Lovely toasty notes alongside precise citrus fruit and some
nutty depth. Fresh and nicely aromatic with a bright palate.
Stylish. 91/100 (09/12)
Waterkloof
Circle of Life White 2011 Stellenbosch, South Africa Mostly Sauvignon with a bit of Chenin. Complex mineral nose with
some stone fruits. The palate is rich and textured with a mineral
quality and some white peach and pear fruit. Some creamy richness,
too. Lovely depth and texture here. 92/100 (03/12)
Waterkloof
Circle of Life White 2011 Stellenbosch, South Africa Textured and broad but fresh with nice precision. Lovely weight
here: soft and rounded, with real interest. 91/100 (09/12)
Waterkloof
Circumtance Chenin Blanc 2011 Stellenbosch, South Africa Lovely rich nose showing peachy fruit and spicy freshness.
Mineral and spice undertones to the palate, which shows textured,
fresh pear and peach fruit. Nice balance and focus. 93/100 (03/12)
Waterkloof
Viognier 2010 Stellenbosch, South Africa Aromatic, freshnose
shows delicate peach and pear fruit. Interesting texture on the
palate which is rich, herby and a little oily. Distinctive. 90/100
(03/12)
Waterkloof
Circumstance Cape Coral Rosé 2011 Stellenbosch, South Africa Mourvèdre. Whole berry pressed and taken off as quickly as
possible, to create a very pale salmon pink rosé. Textured, fresh,
fruity and rounded. There’s not much red fruit character here:
instead, it’s a delicious soft-textured rosé with a hint of
seriousness. 90/100 (03/12)
Waterkloof
Circumstance Cape Coral Rosé 2011 Stellenbosch, South Africa Pale in colour. Subtle, textured and a bit spicy with lively
fruit and some mineral notes. 90/100
Waterkloof
Circle of Life Red 2009 Stellenbosch, South Africa A blend of Merlot and Syrah, plus Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvèdre,
Petit Verdot and Cinsault. Sweet, focused blackberry and
blackcurrant fruit nose with a chalky, gravelly edge. The palate is
brooding and ripe yet restrained, with nice gravelly savouriness and
some tannic structure. Ripe and generous but well balanced. 92/100
(03/12)
Waterkloof
Circumstance Syrah 2009 Stellenbosch, South Africa Whole bunch fermented, punched down delicately twice a day and
35 days on skins. Wonderfully fresh, meaty, slightly minty raspberry
and blackberry nose. Lush but with some nice pepperiness. The palate
is ripe and sweet yet fresh and peppery with lovely structure. A
beautiful wine. 94/100 (03/12)
Waterkloof
Circumstance Syrah 2009 Stellenbosch, South Africa Ripe, meaty and aromatic, with lovely black cherry fruit. The
palate is fresh and powerful, ripe and smooth-textured, yet it’s
vital with lovely meatiness, some pepper notes and a hint of clove.
So fresh and vivid. 94/100 (09/12)
Waterkloof
Circumstance Merlot 2009 Stellenbosch, South Africa Sweetly fruited and supple with elegant cherry and berry fruits
as well as some chalky structure. Very nicely judged. Supple,
elegant. 91/100 (03/12)
Waterkloof
Circumstance Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 Stellenbosch, South Africa Big, sweet, chalky/gravelly blackcurrant nose with some savoury
herbal and blackcurrant bud notes. The palate is fresh and supple
with ripeness and richness of texture, but also nice acidity. 92/100
(03/12)
Waterkloof
Circumstance Sauvignon Blanc 2009 13.5% alcohol. Intense and quite powerful with a herby edge to
the grassy, slightly tropical fruit. Nice depth and intensity. Quite
a savoury style. 90/100 (10/10)
Waterkloof
Circumstance Cape Coral Mourvèdre Rosé2010
13.5% alcohol. Very pale pink. Light, fresh, bright and racy. Well
balanced with delicate strawberry notes. Provence style, with good
texture. 89/100 (10/10)
Waterkloof
Circumstance Syrah 2008 This was picked a bit later than normal, but it’s still a
lovely wine. Ripe, sweet and bold with cherry and berry fruit as
well as some meaty savouriness and a smooth texture. But there’s
also some attractive peppery freshness. A portion of whole bunch was
used here and it adds interest. Beautiful with real potential.
92/100 (10/10)
Waterkloof
Circumstance Merlot 2008 Supple elegant berry fruits with some sweetness and a gravelly
edge. Quite deep and full with an attractive mineral, savouriness.
90/100 (10/10)
Waterkloof
Sauvignon Blanc 2009 Really intense and full with lovely grassy, green pepper notes
and ripe bold fruit. The palate is dense and concentrated with herb
and mineral notes. Very bold style but still fresh. 91/100 (10/10)
Waterkloof
Circle of Life White 2009 Sauvignon with some Chenin and a dollop of Semillon, a mix of
oak and stainless steel fermentation and ageing. Lovely taut,
focused, mineralic nose with some depth. The palate is toasty and
nutty with freshness and nice minerality. A hint of nice reduction,
too. Some white peach fruit adds richness. 93/100 (10/10)
Waterkloof
Circle of Life Red 2008 Smooth, pure, supple berry fruit with a meaty, herby edge. The
palate is supple and fresh with nice acidity and appealing cherry
and berry fruit. There’s a bit of herby, meaty character that
detracts a little: apparently the 2009 doesn’t have this
character. 88/100 (10/10)