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SOUTH AFRICA
– NEW VARIETIES –
Cremello 2020 (91 points). ‘We planted the Verdelho in
2000,’ says winemaker Craig Barnard. ‘It was planted so
that we could have a unique offering, initially as part of a
complex blend, but as the vines got older the quality really
started to shine through so we took the decision also to
bottle it as an individual wine. It has an amazing acidic
backbone which lends the wine a vibrant freshness. When
used with older barrels, you are able to get great structure
in the wine without impacting on the floral, perfumed and
exotic aromatics. I definitely think more producers should
consider planting it. It is well suited to our terroir as the
summer heat allows the vines to ripen early and evenly,
thereby retaining freshness.’
It was memories of drinking Portuguese Vinho Verde
on family in Mozambique that first got the Newton
Johnson family thinking about planting ‘Alvarinho’ at
their eponymous farm in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde
Valley with its maritime climate. Their research led them
across the Spanish border to the classical expression of
the grape that they most wanted to pursue: Albariño from
the granite soils of Rias Baxas. ‘As the Upper Hemel-en-
Aarde is an “island” of granite between the shale soils
of our neighbouring appellations, we had an unusual
opportunity to work with a white variety suitable for
our granite soils and maritime climate,’ says managing
director Bevan Newton Johnson.
‘We sourced some material from UC Davis in California.’
Made by Newton Johnson’s brother, Gordon, and sisterin-law,
Nadia, the Albariño has been enthusiastically
received since the first general release in 2015, with the
2020 scoring 90 points. ‘The wine is fermented and
matured in a combination of concrete eggs, old oak
barrels and stainless steel tanks to preserve the clear
aromatics of the grape, along with good mid-palate texture
and fresh acidity to finish off. We are getting a good feel
for it after eight vintages, except the acidity levels are still
too high at our preferred picking stage that we have to
leave it out there a bit longer before we pick, unlike our
other wines where we err on slightly lighter alcohols to
retain freshness and perfumed fruit. These are nuances we
have yet to fully master.’
Leliefontein in Wellington is home to the Bosman family, who also own
Bosman Adama, the largest vine nursery in Africa
MORE FROM THE MED
At Dornier, mentioned previously, another Spanish variety
that has taken time to master is Tempranillo, the noble
Dornier’s former owner, the late Swiss artist Christoph Dornier, had a passion
for architecture, as the estate’s landmark cellar demonstrates
WINTER 2021 GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE 119