Waterkloof Estate celebrates its decade of
winemaking in harmony with nature on the outskirts of Somerset West with the
release of the tenth vintage of its elegantly dry rosé,
Cape Coral 2015.
Styling with a fresh new label in the estate’s
site specific Circumstance range, this naturally fermented rosé is made with 100% Mourvèdre grapes and enjoys world recognition as a serious pink wine.
In addition to
changing the way the Waterkloof Estate was farmed over the past ten years, converting
it from a conventional to a fully-fledged biodynamic farm, there was also
reassessment regarding which grape varieties were most suitable for this idyllic
site on the slopes of the Schapenberg.
“In our quest to
produce truly fine wines of vitality, individuality and sustainability, emphasis
was placed on matching variety to terroir, rather than planting varieties that were
popular in the market. All the ‘experts’ told us to steer clear of Mourvèdre,
as it is an unsellable and difficult variety in the wrong place. Today
Mourvèdre is the most planted red variety on the estate and the results are
bearing fruit in our Cape Coral Rosé,” shares Waterkloof’s proprietor, Paul
Boutinot.
“To produce elegant wines with a true sense of
origin, it is essential to plant a varietal which is best adapted to the area.
We believe that Mourvèdre should always be able to
see the ocean and so it does in our rocky granite soils, where warm summers and
cooling breezes from False Bay impart great flavours and remarkable complexity
to the fruit. Waterkloof and Bandol in Provence bear some striking
similarities,” adds winemaker Nadia Barnard.
Is Waterkloof the Cape’s answer to Bandol?
Esteemed British wine critic, Jancis Robinson, seems to agree with Nadia as she
featured the Cape Coral as her Wine of
the Week earlier in the year, describing it “to all intents and purposes as
a great value alternative to a dry, herby Bandol rosé.”
“This is substantial, grown-up rosé that has nothing whatever to do with
anything girly, even though the highly competent winemaker is female,” Jancis
added.