Breedekloof Chenin Blanc Initiative: Lateganskop, Breeland and Botha
Friday, 18 September, 2015
Breedekloof Wine Valley
Lateganskop is the wine spread owned by the Lategan-family, and do not be surprised to find more than one tasty crop growing on this high-reaching expanse of vines and mountain soils.
Co-owner-winemaker Heinrich Lategan has made a point of showcasing not only the Breedekloof Wine Valley’s most famous product – Chenin Blanc – but some local delicacies. Such as the waterblommetjies that grow on his dam and are an integral part of Cape cuisine, as well as the pesto he makes from his own basil.
“Good wine requires good food from fresh ingredients, so we ensure we are involved at both ends of the spectrum,” says Heinrich.
The focus, though, is on Lateganskop’s Chenin Blanc, and Heinrich joined the Breedekloof Chenin Initiative from the outset.
“Wine farming is the lifeblood of the Breedekloof, and for all of our producers it is how we ensure the economic sustainability of the region for ourselves and the local communities,” says Heinrich. “However, as a winemaker I know each one of us dreams of putting an individually made wine into the bottle, that one wine that bears our signature and expresses our creativity,” he says.
This is how Heinrich came about making the Lateganskap Zahir Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc 2014, his contribution to the Breedekloof Chenin Blanc Initiative of nine winemakers making waves in the South African wine industry through their artisanal wines.
“The name Zahir is from a book by Paul Coelho,” says Heinrich, “and I would like to believe it expresses some of the poetry and imagination required in winemaking. For us, it is actually about capturing the poetry nature has provided in the Breedekloof Wine Valley through superb Chenin Blanc fruit, leaving it to the imagination of the winemaker to express myself in the bottle.
The Zahir Chenin Blanc is harvested from 21 year old bush vines. After cold-soaking for two days, the grapes were allowed to use wild yeast cells to spontaneously ferment in old French oak barrels. Once the magical process of fermentation was complete, the wine aged for 11 months.
“The time and careful approach the Chenin Blanc Initiative requires gave me an opportunity to make a complex, rich wine,” says Heinrich. “Typical Chenin Blanc characters include fresh apple and notes of dried fruit, while that broad mid-palate provides this wine with the features I wanted to showcase in a wine of this calibre. And it really is an honour to present the Zahir as part of this terrific Breedekloof Chenin Blanc Initiative.”
Yes, there is no shortage of imagination or creativity among the members of the Breedekloof Chenin Blanc Initiative. Kosie Marais, who farms at Breeland in the breathtakingly beautiful Slanghoek Valley, is a case in point.
Known for his creative conversations with guests, Kosie decided to push the envelope in making a wine that fitted into the alternative profile of the Breedekloof Chenin Blanc Initiative.
“As a winemaker I would become bored if I did not experiment,” says Kosie. “So when it came around to taking up the challenge set by the Breedekloof Chenin Blanc Initiative, I decided to freeze my bunches of Chenin Blanc after picking them. Just to cool everything down and bring the acidity, sugars and other elements into a state of virginal harmony.”
No, he is not dreaming. This was actually done in making the Breeland Chenin Blanc 2014.
“Don’t worry, the rest of the winemaking was pretty conventional,” says Kosie. “We fermented the Chenin Blanc in 2nd fill French oak barrels, giving regular battonage over the 15 months aging to ensure I didn’t miss any of the great flavours lurking in the grape lees.”
The result is a surprisingly fresh, tangy wine with a layer of fruit and spice flavours. “The brisk notes are a result of the sandstone the grapes grow on, and I believe a wine has to taste like a living thing. It must have a serious presence and a personality that engages, but at the same time must express the sun, air and geography of the natural environment the vines live under.”
Young gun Werner Swiegers from Botha Cellar jumped at the chance to craft a wine for the Breedekloof Chenin Blanc Initiative.
“As one of the larger wineries in the region, it was important for Botha to show that in between the substantial volumes of grapes we take in from our member-farmers, we can also create smaller volumes of site-specific wines providing a sense of place,” says Werner.
“For us at Botha, Chenin Blanc is the best grape variety with which we can communicate the region’s unique terroir as well as the personal approach we winemakers are capable of,” he says.
“Importantly, Chenin Blanc is a calling-card with which South Africa can announce itself on the global wine stage. Not only do we have more Chenin Blanc vineyards than any other wine country, but the history of South African winemaking is steeped in Chenin Blanc, so if there is a breed of winemakers who know how to work with this variety, it is South Africa’s.”
The Breedekloof Wine Valley has always been one of the most important Chenin regions, says Werner, and brings the best we can offer to the fore, he says.
For the Breedekloof Chenin Blanc Initiative Werner produced the Botha Kelder Barrel Fermented Bush Vine Chenin Blanc 2014, made from 24 year-old unirrigated bushvines.
“One of the benefits of having farmers with generations of experience with Chenin Blanc is the proliferation of bush-vines,” says Werner. “The plants work hard in giving concentrated berries packed with true Chenin flavours.”
“Fermentation and maturation was done in wood, 60% new,” he says. “Maturation was on the lees for 10 months.”
This multi-dimensional wine has a vibrant green-gold colour with flavours of citrus, peach and flowers. “And sunshine!” says Werner. “That is one thing that makes South African wines shine – the sun.”