A Taste-off on the Magnum Scale

Tuesday, 21 June, 2016
Graham Howe
Graham Howe contemplates the comparative evolution of wine in magnums and standard bottles, the ageability of white wines and the longevity of Cabernet Sauvignon at recent benchmark tastings on the wine circuit.

One of the fascinating themes of recent wine tastings was a comparison of estate wines of the same vintage in magnum and standard 750 ml wine bottles. Bertho van der Westhuizen, winemaker at Alto, managed a double father-and-son-trick by leading a tasting of back vintages made by his father, Schalk van der Westhuizen who handed over the baton to him in May 2015. The opportunity to taste current and older vintages of the iconic Alto Rouge as well as Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz over a food and wine pairing at Carne in Constantia was a treat for writers and sommeliers.

Overall, the Alto magnums came up trumps at the tasting - where wines of the same variety and vintage tasted like two different wines. Schalk explained “The comparison changes from vintage to vintage. The wine has more oxygen to work with in a magnum”. Most of the other influences were identical. Whether matured in a standard bottle or magnum, each wine was closed under cork, made by the same winemaker, bottled from the same batch or blend and matured at Bergkelder Vinoteque. The older the wine, the greater the bottle variation of the same vintage in the same size bottle.

The comparative tasting put a fascinating spin on a tasting of Alto wines from 2007 - 2012 - with the great vintages of 2007 and 2009 showing particularly well. Schalk added, “If Sauvignon Blanc does well in a particular vintage, then generally Cabernet Sauvignon does too - especially in a cooler climate region like the Helderberg. If anyone doubts that Stellenbosch is Cabernet country, try Alto Cabernet Sauvignon 2009. Schalk says the winemakers tastes every vintage in 750ml bottle and magnum at Vinoteque every year - and older vintages of Alto are still on-line at bargain prices.

Whereas the younger vintages tasted more flamboyant and voluptuous in 750ml bottles, the older, slower-developing vintages in magnums seemed more concentrated, elegant and restrained. Renowned restaurateur Giorgio Nava created some of the best food and wine matches of the year - demonstrating how younger, sweeter year-old grand padana cheese in Carne’s signature homemade ravioli of slow-baked Karoo lamb with sage butter was the perfect match for Alto Cabernet Sauvignon 2007. A sommelier commented that they could play a role on-trade in recommending magnums to consumers at bigger tables, and that it added value to special occasions. 

Cellarmaster Pieter “Bubbles” Ferreira made the same point about magnums at a vertical tasting of Graham Beck’s renowned MCC sparkling wines. “Magnums age slowly and differently” he said, estimating that ‘A magnum of MCC at four years old is equivalent to two”. The new wisdom is the more time on the lees, the longer the time on cork, the greater the savoury and brioche (French) character of the wine. Pieter believes that the maturation ratio of magnums to standard size wines even shows differentially in MCC and reds. The quality of virus-free clones and cork has also improved significantly over the years, which also affects the maturation potential. Yeasty impressions come through older MCCs like “a feather on the tongue”.

The maturation potential of Pinotage was the theme of a recent tasting at Burrata led by De Wet Viljoen of Neethlingshof - who took over the reins from Schalk van der Westhuizen, the king of this cellar for many years before moving to Alto. At a vertical tasting of their iconic Owl Post Pinotage 2010 - 2014 made from a single, 34 year-old vineyard De Wet, vice-chairman of the Pinotage Association, demonstrated his passion for the variety and for sustainable viticulture. This wine in the Neethlingshof short story collection tells a story of the one hundred owl posts planted on the farm to control vineyard pests the natural organic way instead of using pesticides.

“These Pinotage wines were made from the same vineyard, by the same winemaker and matured in the same wood, made by the same cooper” declared De Wet, “I really enjoy using Hungarian oak grown in older, natural forests which produces sweeter, spicier, marmalade-like flavours”. Vintage variation was the key factor at the tasting. He added that 2009 is his personal benchmark - the best vintage ever at Neethlingshof since he joined the cellar in 2003. The signature cherry, banana and spicy clove, cinnamon and nutmeg flavours of Owl Post Pinotage paired well with the sweet springbok shank in Pinotage jus with polenta at Burrata at The Old Biscuit Mill.

If holding back red wines for release and cellaring older vintages for consumers to enjoy mature wines at their peak is a concern, another regular theme at wine tastings is the ageability of white wines. A common complaint from sommeliers and winemakers at trade tastings is that wines are consumed too young in South Africa. Debate often focuses on ways to educate consumers on the virtues of enjoying older vintages, especially wood-matured white flagship blends and varieties such as Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, especially those from cooler-climate regions which take up to three years to come into their own. Many restaurants say consumers prefer the current or most recent vintage of most white wines - as if they pass a sell-by date.

At a vertical tasting of Avondale’s flagship, Cyclus five-way blend, owner-viticulturist Jonathan Grieve echoed these concerns. The cellar holds back vintages for release, saying “The wine only begins to start showing itself at eighteen months”. At similar benchmark tastings of KWV Mentors Semillon, Nederburg Cabernet Sauvignon over five decades and Steenberg’s iconic Magna Carta or reserve Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon wines, older vintages showcase the complexity of white wine maturation - and the layers of flavour and texture of bottle maturation.

When a winemaker brings rare archive vintages of benchmark Cape wines out of the cellar, it is always a privilege for wine writers. I remember a memorable tasting of old vintages of Chateau Libertas and Zonnebloem at the tabernacle archive in Stellenbosch. I recalled the words of Distell’s chief winemaker at a memorable tasting of Nederburg Cabernet Sauvignon across five decades in late 2015. Razvan Macici led the tasting on a fitting note of gravitas, “These old wines are very, very fragile. Some are older than me. You don’t get to taste them every day. The 1966 and 1975 disappear from the glass as you speak! Can we see the evolution over the decades?”