I’ve been curious about these circles and have since been invited to sit in as a guest in a few special ones—and no one has had to die.
Chapter two: The Stellenbosch Circle
The Stellenbosch Circle is one of South Africa’s oldest tasting groups, dating all the way back to 1938. That’s 80 years of commitment.
The circle’s secretary Charles Withington says the members are all inspiring people: “from industry forerunners such as May de Lencquesaing, Gyles Webb, Jan ‘Boland’ Coetzee, Phil Freese and Joel van Wyk to Jaco Engelbrecht, who is probably the youngest member, but yet one of the most dynamic, lateral and driven viticulturalists in the country, and everything else in between – our members are all special people.”
Like most other circles they meet once a month, each time with a different theme as well as hosts.
The first tasting of the year is called “A Little Bit of Everything”, which sees members digging deep into their personal collections to bring ‘something special, that has a story’. The previous one took place at Glenelly and Charles shares that May de Lencquesaing told the most beautiful story about her wines: how she imagines her wines all sitting together while they’re in barrel, talking to each other, then they grow up a bit and are bottled, but are still together—and then they leave and end up alone on a shelf in New York, or somewhere.
“That’s the kind of environment it is, special people, telling special stories. Nothing irritates me more than the idea of ‘what’s hot and what’s not’. Our members are people who can really add something interesting, and from different viewpoints. The older generation brings their wealth of experiences, while the younger members offer a whole other perspective.
Tonight’s venue is at Stellenbosch farm, Remhoogte, and the theme of the tasting is “Why Pinot Noir Remains a Star” presented by Duimpie Bayly and Olivia Poonah. A meeting of brilliant minds that neatly underscores the ethos of the group: the wisdom and experience of the older generation juxtaposed with the dynamism of the younger.
A code that was sent to me earlier gets me through the gates, and into the tasting room of the estate, which overlooks mountain views washed rose-gold by the gloaming.
The circle’s secretary Charles Withington gets proceedings started, and kindly lends me some glasses—pretty much the only rule of the group is to bring your own stemware. He says sagely: “there is a constitution, but a bit like your ante nuptial contract, when you need to pull it out of the drawer, the foundations are already crumbling.”
He runs through some news and anecdotes and then our presenters take the floor.
It’s clear from the outset Olivia has done intensive research for the tasting. With a background in winemaking both locally and abroad, her focus at many of her posts has been on Pinot Noir, making her ideal to conduct the tasting. She’s currently employed as Secretary of the Board for the Wine and Spirit Board.
Wine legend Duimpie Bayly hints at some special wines to come, including a raid on the family cellar. Duimpie was one of South Africa’s first Cape Wine Masters, and he has dedicated over 40 years of his life to the wine industry. He began his career in the laboratory at the then Stellenbosch Farmers Winery in 1962 and went on to become Group Operations Director of Distell, retiring in 1995.
The two make a formidable, entertaining pair.
Says Olivia: “Pinot Noir, the heartbreak grape, is a fickle grape. It is like having a picky houseguest over that you have to go out of the way to please. It wants cool mornings, warm, long afternoons and cool nights and evenings. The variation of warmer and cooler conditions is good for the fruit and results in intensity of flavours. This variation in temperatures has a significant impact on a grape's ripening progress; the heat of the day promotes sugar accumulation, while the cooler night-time temperature preserves balanced levels of natural fruit acidity.”
First, some facts: globally there are 60,000 hectares of Pinot Noir planted, of which 1182 hectares is planted in South Africa, which makes up 1.3% of the total hectarage under vine. In France, there are 50 recognised clones of Pinot Noir and currently there are 14 clones available in South Africa.
“Clonal diversity is better. Top Pinot Noir producers in Burgundy believe that a blend of several clones is better, not only for making great wine, but also for preserving diversity in the vineyard.”
Now, the wines. In sets of three bottles are passed around in numbered bags to disguise the wines for a total of 12 wines.
The first wine stuns the crowd with its finesse; the majority argues that it’s Burgundy. It’s not. It’s the Newton Johnson 2017. In the next flight the Hemel-en-Aarde winery impresses again with the Newton Johnson 2015 CWG.
Some other highlights include: Burn Cottage 2012 Central Otago, New Zealand; Angela Estate 2013 Willamette, Oregon, USA; Clos Des Avaux 2014 Beaune; and the Wild Peacock Pinot Noir 2014, made by member Andrew Baker.
The tasting wraps up with something special from Duimpie’s cellar. He jokes (or was he?) that he was saving it for his 50th wedding anniversary. Jansz 2007, Tasmenoise. Sparkling wine made in the same method as champagne in Tasmania.
It’s the perfect moment of surprise to end the tasting with—a moment that speaks to the sheer enjoyment of wine, and of a collective that hasn’t lost its dynamism or grown at all weary in its 80 year tenure.
Concludes Charles: “It’s absolutely critical for wine people to acquire as wide exposure as possible – and in an open, sharing and good humoured way. This is not about points this is SERIOUS ENJOYMENT, both words equally significant.”