By seeing how previous vintages have evolved you can usually anticipate the future of the latest arrival. In gene pool terms, if you know the track record of several generations of race horses, you can make a more informed judgment call at a yearling sale.
Of course there are limitations — both to vertical tastings and to bloodline projections. Every generation is different because the DNA of both parents is present in their offspring. With wine, differences from one year to the next can range from weather conditions and vinification strategies to fruit selection within a single site, or from wholly different vineyards.
Saronsberg proprietor Nick van Huyssteen and winemaker Dewaldt Heyns hosted a vertical tasting of the first 10 vintages of their flagship wine, the Saronsberg Full Circle, late last month.
At much the same time, I was lucky enough to do a horizontal tasting (in other words, the current releases of the range) from Neil Ellis. This was less about where he has come from and more about what the future holds. The recent acquisition of old vine cabernet, shiraz and sauvignon blanc vineyards as well as long-term contracts for grenache and cinsault coincides with his sons and daughter taking over the day-to-day running of the cellar.
It’s evident from what I tasted (especially of the whites) that there’s been a change of hand at the tiller. If you feel like shopping, you could do a lot worse than buy the unwooded and wooded sauvignon, the grenache and the cinsault. They are pure, thoughtfully managed, youthful and capable of acquiring greater charm with bottle-age.
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