Rickety Bridge release their 2011 Foundation Stone
Friday, 10 May, 2013
Rickety Bridge
A six cultivar Rhône-style blend kitted out in avante-garde attire
Ever-unfolding innovation and creativity, while maintaining the magic of
a 200-year history, are synonymous with the picturesque Franschhoek
wine and lifestyle estate, Rickety Bridge. Their distinctive
Rhône-styleblend, The Foundation Stone, mirrors this trend of novelty
and orginality with the 2011 vintage comprising a new blend of six
Rhône-style cultivars adorned in a new, vividly imaginative label.
The
Foundation Stone, named after the cornerstone of the original ‘rickety
bridge’ which straddles the Franschhoek River, ushering one into the
estate, boasts a highly acclaimed track record. The maiden 2008 vintage,
a Shiraz Mourvèdre Grenache blend, attained an admirable four-star
rating in the 2010 John Platter Wine Guide, while The 2010 Foundation
Stone was named one of the Top 100 SA Wines for 2012, scooping, in
addition, a Best Value award.
New label for a new blend
“As
the only red blend in Rickety Bridge’s range of fine wines and a wine
which our winemaker, Wynand Grobler, particularly enjoys making, we felt
The Foundation Stone needed a creative new label to reflect Wynand’s
innovative approach to this wine where the blend is constantly evolving.
Fanakalo, a trio of talented young Stellenbosch-based designers who are
making a name for themselves in the design world, came up with the
perfect distinctive label for us, one that reflects modernity but with
vintage nuances threaded throughout. Even the back label, with our Dodge
truck forming part of the barcode, is unique. Rickety Bridge’s
trademark colours of royal blue, gold and cream and key elements from
our logo are evident, but combined with images of Wynand hard at work in
the cellar, illustrating his hands-on commitment to this wine. We have
decided to complement this wine with a Rhône-style white blend, due to
the great potential shown for these wines in South Africa”, commented
Rickety Bridge’s Managing Director, Jan van Huyssteen.
Vineyards and winemaking
Well
manicured and settled low-yielding vineyards planted in decomposed
granite soils with westerly facing slopes were identified in the
Franschhoek, Swartland, Breede River, Elgin and Walker Bay areas to make
this Mediterranean-style blend. The grapes were hand-picked and all six
varietals were vinified and matured separately in small 225- and larger
500-litre French oak barrels for a total maturation time of 15 months
and then blended for bottling.
Tasting notes and blend
The
Rickety Bridge Foundation Stone 2011, a delicious blend of Shiraz
(48%), Cinsaut (19%), Mourvèdre (15%), Grenache (9%), Tannat (5%) and
Viognier (4%), is velvety smooth on the palate with succulent tannins
and notes of white pepper, red fruit, chocolate and cherry tobacco on
the nose.
Rickety Bridge’s charming winemaker, Wynand Grobler,
continually experiments with the composition of this wine, tweaking it
every year. “In 2009, Viognier was added to the original Shiraz
Mourvèdre Grenache blend, while the 2010 vintage comprised a blend of
Shiraz, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Tannat and Cinsaut, finally culminating in
the addition of the full complement, with a six cultivar Rhône-style
blend in 2011. The Cinsaut has opened the wine up with soft red berry
fruit on the nose and finesse on the palate. The Tannat adds ageability
with its great natural acidity and scrumptious tannins while the
Viognier adds dark peachy spice on the nose and finish. It is an
intriguing wine that over delivers on quality. It offers depth and is
soft and accessible with potential to age for up to 5 years.”
Wynand Grobler’s suggested food pairing
The
intriguing spiciness, myriad of nuances and intriguing combination of
softness and depth make this wine a perfect accompaniment to ostrich or
beef carpaccio, duck, venison or a conventional rump steak drizzled with
pepper sauce.
Retail price
The 2011 Rickety Bridge
Foundation Stone is available nationally at leading restaurants and fine
wine merchants, retailing at approximately R85.
Rickety Bridge
When
visiting Rickety Bridge today, one still crosses a bridge over the
Franschhoek River to enter this picturesque sanctuary, this jewel in the
vines, which offers far more than the conventional wine estate. Today
this Franschhoek wine estate is home to a modern boutique-style winery, a
‘tasting room in the vines’, ‘Paulina’s’ à la carte restaurant,
luxurious 4-star accommodation, a romantic wedding and function venue, a
conference centre, a playground for children and a boules court.