A certain Long Ben presented us with abundant inspiration in the creation of the Cocoa Hill wines, two playful and fun-filled new additions to Stellenbosch producer Dornier Wines' acclaimed range.
The Pirate
The Cape at the time of its Dutch occupation was a fascinating place. The era evokes images of a wild and uncharted continent; mysterious indigenous peoples; ivory sails fluttering above burly wooden ships; and the rich, exotic colours and textures of the treasures of the East - demand for the latter in the West, the very reason for the Cape of Good Hope's existence. This was the world of Long Ben and his gang of erstwhile brutes.
Long Ben was a feared English pirate who pillaged ships along the Spice Route and around the Cape at the time of its Dutch occupation, archives dating from the seventeenth century indicate. Following a long line of offences, he eventually had to flee the authorities or face prosecution and ingeniously assumed a new identity under the guise of winegrowing in the Stellenbosch region.
Long Ben's grapes grew in deep, dark soils on a hilltop in the Blaauwklippen area - home to Dornier Wines today - which he named Cocoa Hill and was seen peering out to the seas and longing for the ocean and his old ways, it is said.
The Design
Artist Christoph Dornier has a creative hand in the estate and its wines' aesthetics, as with the mischievous elegance of the new Cocoa Hill design. The Dornier iconography has been commended for its innovative approach to wine packaging and its striking minimalism, for which Christoph drew inspiration from Greek mythology and the epic and universal themes of passion, seduction and metamorphosis. The Cocoa Hill design is a natural extension of the original Dornier concept with the playful and intriguing addition of a conspicuous red bandana worn as a blindfold.
Whether art imitates life or wine, or visa versa, Dornier's handcrafted wines are as elegantly classical as its insignia is striking and contemporary.
The Wine
The Dornier Cocoa Hill Red 2004 is a youthful yet refined blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot which grow in the decomposed red granite soils of Cocoa Hill - a hilltop in the folds of the Stellenbosch Mountain, supremely positioned in prime South African terroir, of which the present-day Dornier tasting room offers an imposing view.
The wine elegantly combines its three blending components' trademark aromas and flavours, evoking the vineyard's setting with dark truffles, mocha and vanilla notes on the nose and delicious cherry and liquorice on the palate.
The Dornier Cocoa Hill Red 2004 garnered a Gold Medal at the 2006 Michelangelo International Wine Awards earlier this year. At R40/bottle you'll not only be amused by Long Ben's tale but be offered exceptional value - not to mention a wine crafted to Dornier's standards and in our classic style.
The Dornier Cocoa Hill Chenin Blanc 2006 is a delectably chic version of what used to be South Africa's Cinderella variety. Fresh, minerally and subtly aromatic, the Dornier Cocoa Hill Chenin Blanc 2006 is no wallflower; and in true Dornier style, no loud stepsister either! The wine entices with delicate aromas of white pear, ginger and citrus, gracefully balanced with lively acidity and a long aftertaste. At R30/bottle it is the ultimate in casual sophistication and summer entertaining.
A Cocoa Hill Rosé will be introduced early in 2007.
'The range has been phenomenally successful in the domestic market and in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden and Canada. The inaugural vintages are almost sold out. Only a few hundred cases are for sale from the Dornier tasting room,' comments managing director, Raphael Dornier.
About Dornier Wines
Dornier Wines is imposingly situated on the Blaauwklippen Road outside Stellenbosch. The estate's portfolio consists of the flagship Dornier Donatus blends, the Dornier single-varietal, classically styled range, and the Cocoa Hill Seduction range.
Dornier Wines' accolades include several four-star wines in the John Platter Guide, acclaim by international critics including Robert Parker and Stephen Tanzer, and most recently being awarded numerous gold and silver medals at the Michelangelo International Wine Awards, Mundus Vini, the International Wine and Spirits Competition and the Decanter Wine Awards.
Dornier Wines
Blaauwklippen Road
Stellenbosch
Tel: (021) 880-0557
Fax: (021) 880-1499