The launch was similar to last year’s and equally as intimate, indicative of Jasper and his team’s approach; small, humble but oozing with pride. Being greeted with fresh Oysters, Salmon and a Brut Reserve MCC from 2009 you knew something was afoot. And it was. Just the sight of the single vineyard ‘Ou Steen’ (Chenin Blanc) makes you want to devour it. Already lustrous gold, the 2013 had a nose you could sit and smell all night. Dried candied peach, marzipan, quince and zippy lemon – not perhaps the smoky minerality of Vouvray – but close enough to say ‘oh la la’.. The palate is off-dry, ‘around 14 to 16 grams RS, probably’, says Jasper. But its hidden acidity defies the ‘Demi-Sec’ label, the sweetness is delicate and the wine leaves you wanting more. Not easy at R250 a bottle, but if this were Vouvray that would be a snip and for an icon wine this is destined to be (if you can get any of it – only 1252 bottles were made), a great deal. It is the Charlize Theron of wine, elegant, beautiful, yet with such depth and intrigue; Jasper should rename the wine. I was aware that sitting with Prawn and Monkfish salad, flavoured with ginger, saffron, chilli and coriander yoghurt can make you overly generous in your analysis of the wine, and I made an effort to spot its shortcomings. It’s young, the nose is not yet so complex, it needs another five years; and that is the limit my critique reached. I scored it at 94/100 and it should improve.
The Ekliptika 2012 (R410) is named and labelled after the Longridge winemaking philosophy and one which is hardly evident in Longridge’s marketing; bio-dynamics. You have to look to the last paragraph of the vineyard section on the web site to find, ‘we employ bio-dynamic practices’. Certification is around the corner in 2015 (they’ve been doing it since 2011) and more noise will come of it, and viticulturist Albert le Roux supports Jasper’s pursuit of working with nature. No pesticides, no herbicides, low sulphur (only after 10 months in tank/barrel), no yeast, no filtering, working with the moon’s phases etc. The Ekliptika label shows the star’s alignments so important to bio-dynamics. “Aren’t you worried that your neighbors might be spraying?”, I asked Albert, “not really”, he replied, “they can’t kill our soil, and that is the key”. The Ekliptika was young and presently a touch rustic – probably from 22 months in barrel - with toasty oak showing a grip over black, almost bitter fruit with hints of the Franc’s greenness. The palate opened slowly and finished long showing future potential; one to put away for five years, presently 91/100 for me.
The gorgonzola truffle in sesame seeds was too much for the Edelgoud botrytis NLH 2011 dessert wine (R170 for 375ml). It looked as though it would give it a good go, being deep gold (yet unoaked) and viscous, but its deceptive sweetness (144g/L RS) was invisible, being elegant, innocent and alluring; more Kiera Knightley than Charlize, perhaps. Tasted a year ago, I thought it would ‘age interestingly’, and it has, retaining its tangerine deftness. The Edelgoud is (uniquely in SA) Verdelho based. “I don’t know why those grapes work’, says Jasper, “they just do”. Winemaker Hendrien de Munck (who takes the responsibility for all the wines) says a natural ferment is easy when you have such good quality grapes. Her eyes light up at the mention of the Edelgoud, “Ah, my baby”, she says. So, no gorgonzola with Edelgoud for me, no food at all, or company for that matter.