There are few wine brands in SA that evoke the same nostalgia and passion as Chateau Libertas. What other wine in this price bracket would see a flurry of twittering and ‘letters to the editor’ just because the label was changed?
Why is Chateau Libertas so beloved? Let’s face it, there are probably better wines, and certainly hundreds more expensive wines; it is not scarce and it isn’t made by an artisanal octogenarian in his garage in the mists of the Karoo.
Perhaps it is the history. Born in 1932, it has never missed a vintage in 84 years. It has undoubtedly been there for some historical moments in SA’s history. It was served for British Royalty and Prime Minister. It has grown up with lots of the population, for many (after they’d progressed from Tassenberg, perhaps), it was their first wine love. For many and I include wine connoisseurs here it still is.
Winemaker Bonnie van Niekerk and assistant James Ochse know all too well how big a place it has in some wine –drinkers’ hearts’ and how seriously they feel about it. They are more than winemakers, they are custodians of history, preserving something that is bigger than them and will outlast them considerably. A veteran of ten vintages, Bonnie calls Libertas her ‘orphan child’ amongst bigger, maybe better known Distell brands. It may not have the visibility of Zonnebloem or the gravitas of a Grand Plaisir, but she is passionate about ‘her baby’.
Bonnie and James know that Chateau Libertas has a style, a flavour profile, to maintain. “That style has changed over time, though”, says Bonnie, “each winemaker has put their own stamp on it”, but it has always strived for elegance, balance and a certain lightness. It was designed to be a ‘food wine’ and it still is. Apart from those general considerations, though, Bonnie is free to make all the important decisions. I asked if there were set practices or choices to maintain a recognisable Chateau Libertas from year to year. “Never”, says Bonnie, “every year we base everything on the fruit, nothing is presumed, we test and experiment every vintage”. That includes varying the grape ripeness levels, the yeast used, the time in tank, the wood influence, the clarifying processes. Bonnie and James are determined to produce an excellent wine. They are not hampered by limited choices or restricted means. They select for Chateau Libertas at crush stage and again at blending; they may only use seven or eight out of twenty possible tanks and blending decisions are laboured over. Chateau Libertas, despite being a commercial blend, is treated like a prestige cuvée and Bonnie says, “Our aim is to over-produce on quality, I’m quite prepared to take a hiding for it being too good”. Bonnie won’t compromise on practices, getting the oak right takes dozens of small experiments and tests over weeks, it is never the same; “Chateau Libertas is not a recipe” insists Bonnie. Oak staves maintain the Chateau Libertas price point, from Hungary, France and the US, and their role is to underpin the fruit. I didn’t detect wood in three of the four vintages I tasted, which pleased James.
As I enjoyed the 2005, I thought how proud Dave Hughes CWM would be of me (Chateau Libertas is a firm favourite of his) and I realised I can see why. It was still garnet bright, layered, silky and full of fruit, good for many more years. The 2008 was firmer, cleaner and fruitier, the 2013 lighter, full of red berries and very stylish, but the 2015, wow, this could be one of the greats!
Fruit is sourced from areas based on the vintage, sometimes Swartland will contribute significantly, other times, not. The blend varies, too. It has been mostly Cabernet, with smaller amounts of Shiraz, Merlot, Malbec, Ruby Cabernet and Petit Verdot, but this changes, in 2005 there was 45% Cabernet in the blend, in 2013, 20%. For a large brand (Chateau Libertas often might exceed 300,000 bottles) in a world where consumers want brand consistency, Bonnie and James have a lot of freedom to vary the make-up. “We want consistency of style and the best quality”, says Bonnie, and when asked about rising costs versus quality both make it perfectly clear that compromises will not be made in the wine. “Our culture is continuous improvement”, says James.
Treatments to the wine are minimal, they rarely tamper with acids and despite an alcohol level hovering around 13.5% never have to de-alcoholise. There are one or two rackings in tank, an earth fining and pad filter, then natural cold stabilising and away. There is no blueprint for making Chateau Libertas, though, “Every year we re-invent the wheel”, laughs Bonnie.
Chateau Libertas is an icon wine, one with remarkable longevity, considerable class and ridiculous value for money. Drinking an old one is like finding a time capsule. The 2015 vintage will be in shops in a few months.
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