Jacques Bruére Blanc de Blanc '07 and other winners in Amorim Cork Cap Classique Challenge 2010
Bubbling over
What started out as an experiment turned into a winning Cap Classique for the Bruwer family of Bon Courage.
There is no getting away from it. Robertson is a semi-arid area. Semi-desert, some call it, and these days it’s an area quite rain deprived. Conventional wisdom holds that white wine, bubbly included, really should do well only in cooler areas, close to the sea. Well, clearly the vines don’t agree, because they keep producing award-winning wines for this area, year after year.
The latest in a long list of accolades for Robertson producer Bon Courage is an award for the Blanc de Blancs 2007, star of the show at the 2010 Amorim Cork Cap Classique Challenge. The Bruwers have a proud heritage of winemaking that dates back to the Loire Valley in France, where the Bruéres were wine farmers before emigrating to South Africa as French Huguenots.
Current owner André Bruwer’s father bought the farm Goedemoed at an auction in 1927 from the Dutch Reformed Church. The church, at the time so opposed to alcohol that they uprooted all the existing vines, instead farmed with ostriches. The premises were also used as a training facility for farm managers and the current tasting room, built in 1818, was once a boarding house for these students.
The farm was put up for auction when the ostrich feather industry collapsed and oupa Bruwer again established vines on the farm. Bubbly making came in the latter part of the ‘90s, however, and only as the result of a rather serendipitous ‘problem’. Jacques Bruwer, André’s son, finished his agriculture studies at Elsenburg and returned to the estate – quite the young Turk and full of ideas – in 1990. The problem was that his father didn’t really know what to do with him! “My father ran such a tight ship with his fingers firmly on all operations, both in the vineyard and the cellar, that both of us wondered what I was going to do here.”
During his studies at Elsenburg, however, he was in charge of a block of vineyard that was used to make bubbly, and he suggested that Bruwer Snr allow him to try his hand at making Cap Classique. “That’s the great thing about my dad, he’s very level-headed, but he’s open to suggestion. He just said, ‘Why not?’” With that, Bruwer Jnr was left to his own creativity and devices. One of his first challenges presented itself during harvest. “With MCC, the bunch isn’t destemmed, but rather the whole bunch is pressed. We didn’t have the facilities for that in the cellar.” There was, however, an old basket press that stood outside under a tree for 20 years. “My dad said, ‘Well, if you want to make bubbly, this is it.’ I had to painstakingly fix that press. So I can honestly say I started small!”
VARIETY IN THEIR NATURE
Today it is a whole other story. This ‘experiment’ proved so successful that the Bruwers consider bubbly their flagship. They registered the trademark ‘Bon Courage’, the French translation to the farm name of Goedemoed, or ‘great courage’ to pay homage to their French roots.
Three rivers run through the property, each depositing different soils from the Langeberg on the estate. “This is extremely fortunate for us,” says Bruwer Snr, “because it means we can grow grapes for very different styles of wine all on one estate – and at good quality.” Indeed, their list of varieties is diverse, from Port and Muscadel to Riesling and Shiraz. And as luck – or fate – would have it, some of this terroir lends itself exceptionally to the growing of Cap Classiques varieties.
“We’re not trying to copy Champagne at all,” says Bruwer Snr, “but there are some remarkable similarities to our soils – high vineyards rooted in chalky, stony soils. It’s one of the estate’s unique qualities.”
“One advantage the warmer climate brings,” says Bruwer Jnr, “is a higherdegree of physiological ripeness. We pick grapes for a bubbly base wine at threequarters ripeness, and at the point of about 18 degrees Balling (the measure of sugar level) at which we pick our grapes, they are physiologically riper than grapes would have been at a cooler climate.”
The MCC was an instant hit, although Jacques refers to his first vintage as a “flop”. “One can’t just walk in and make wine. It takes a while to get to know your vineyards, your soil and your cellar. I reckon it took me about eight years to really know what I was doing.”
The Blanc de Blancs 2007 was made from vines that were between 16 and 22 years old. Vines of this age generally yield a smaller harvest, but the Bruwers aren’t too worried. “If it keeps producing awardwinning wines, we’d be crazy to pull it out. These wines keep on delivering consistently good quality grapes, year after year.”
Of course it helps to make a wine you really enjoy drinking, as Jacques does. The 2007 vintage shows lovely fruit with hints of lime, something unique to the area. They don’t try to imitate any style from anywhere in the world, the idea is to honour the terroir to make a truly sitespecific wine, but that doesn’t mean they don’t take the constant comparisons to Champagne as a compliment.
They keep to fairly traditional methods with riddling done by hand. There are at least three vintages held in their underground cellar, a charming spot dug out of the earth, supported by red brick Roman arches and lit by chandeliers.
A WINE FOR SHARING
When it comes to winemaking philosophy, which is the way to go? Is a winemaker supposed to make a wine the market wants, one that he himself likes or one he reckons will win prizes? Bruwer Jnr doesn’t think about that too much. “For me, first prize is to make a wine that will make people say, ‘That was great, let’s open another bottle!’”
Having said that, it is important to him to keep in touch with the market. “One of my worst fears is falling into a rut. I have to keep up with the development out there. My father always says we should do our own thing, that we shouldn’t be followers. And if it works, it works. If it doesn’t, then it’s back to the drawing board.”
Family ties keep this winemaking duo together, and they work well as a team: André in the vineyard and Jacques in the cellar. “It was like that from the beginning,” says Jacques. “My dad recognised that I have new techniques to bring to the cellar, just as I realised that the old folks knew what they were talking about. We agreed to learn from each other.” The name of their entry-level range hints at this special relationship of a son following in his father’s footsteps: Like Father Like Son.
This is the first in their portfolio of wines, an easy-drinking range of accessible wines. The Bon Courage Estate wines are a classic range, including a Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Muscadel, Shiraz and the ever-popular Blush, a sweet, pink bubbly. Jacques keeps his best grapes for the Inkara range, named after his three young children, Inge, Karli and André. “It is important to me to get them interested in our business here, they are the fourth generation on the farm, after all.”
Bruwer Jnr readily admits he’s someone who easily gets bored – things hardly stand still on the estate. There are plans to try their hands at mampoer distillation soon. “It would be nice, I think, starting up the kettle on a Saturday morning for the wine tourists. Maybe we’ll start with prickly pears.” A show of mampoer distillation isn’t the only thing wine tourists can look forward to. Café Maude draws visitors from all over the winelands to relax and dine under the trees. It is the baby of sibling Maude, who serves breakfast and light lunches in this restaurant named after ouma Maude Helen, a stately English lady rumoured to be a great cook. “We decided to give wine tourists something other than wine tasting, and a restaurant fits the picture, even though my dad asked, ‘Who’s going to drive all the way out here?’”
Maude worked in the restaurant trade in Cape Town for three years to make sure it was what she wanted to do, before opening up the estate restaurant. “True to our philosophy, this also started small,” says Jacques, “with tables in the garden and Maude working out of a small kitchen at the back of the tasting room. When the cooking aromas started to interfere with the wine tasting and the cars crowded the parking lot weekend after the weekend, we decided to expand it into a proper restaurant.” The good news is that they serve the estate wine at cellar prices.
“People keep telling us our wine, especially our bubbly, is too cheap,” Bruwer Jnr laughs. But they aren’t interested in raising their prices. “One mustn’t become greedy. As long as I can make a quality wine which is value for money, I’m happy.”
THE REST OF THE BEST
PONGRACZ NV
Best Non-vintage
PONGRACZ ROSÉ
Best Rosé
The year 2008 marked winemaker Elunda Basson’s first complete season at JC Le Roux, after her move from Nederburg. It was also the year she made the wines that were to become the Pongracz Rosé and the Pongracz NV.
“Making the Rosé was very challenging for me. It was an important wine to make; we wanted to launch a Rosé that will make people realise this category of bubbly is here to stay.” This can be a hard thing to do, since people don’t often view Rosé as a serious wine.
“I wanted to make a wine that was beautiful, young and effervescent, but at the same time one that’s a bit more serious in body and mouthfeel. I’m very proud of this wine and it’s an important strategic move for us.”
The Rosé is a Chardonnay/Pinot Noir blend that was shopped from all over the winelands; also from the cooler areas. Elunda and viticulturist Bennie Liebenberg spend a lot of time in the vineyards and were hands on when it came to vine treatment, from pruning practices to irrigation.
Elunda kept the tanks separate for fermentation, literally creating a library of base wines from which to blend the fi nal base wine. This Rosé spent 28 months in bottle before its release.
Making a non-vintage can prove to be a great challenge, because according to the French meaning of the term, one commits oneself to creating a product that is consistent over the vintages. The tool to achieve this is a library of reserve wines to blend into the current one, bringing out the best of what every vintage offers.
“Non-vintages are the wines a brand depends on; it’s bread and butter. You build your brand and your reputation on it. It is usually a wine that is attractive to the broader market. The status of a vintage bubbly is something completely different, it is something very special, and something you do only in a very good year.”
When asked to compare the two, Basson says the non-vintage is a wine that fi ts with varied dishes and more events, where, to her mind, there are specific occasions where the Rosé will fit. “The latter reminds me of summer with its fruity flavours and bright colours. I see this wine do well with strawberries, bright fruit, light desserts that aren’t too sweet and salmon dishes. And just think how sexy it will be with a salad dotted by pomegranate pips!” This is the wine to blend into a cocktail for a relaxing evening with friends.
The non-vintage, on the other hand, she would pair with seafood dishes like oysters or sushi or light starters – “lighter, flavourful foods”. It is also a great wine to enjoy on its own (the drink of friends!). It has been an effervescent year for bubbly. “The SA market seems to have developed. If we just look at the volume of visitors coming through the door at The House of JC Le Roux (just outside Franschhoek); these people are really interested in all styles of sparkling wine. This is a really great sign.”
BUY IT HERE
These Pongrácz wines are available from The House of JC Le Roux. www.jcleroux.co.za
KUMKANI INFINITI BRUT 2004
Best Vintage
The base wine for the Kumkani Infiniti Brut was blended from a selection of the classic Champagne varieties, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, the latter from a site on Simonsig. All the vines were between four and 10 years old and the growing season was sunny and dry. The grapes were harvested in February. This is a remarkable award since it’s only the second vintage of this MCC to be released – and clearly this is one to watch out for in future.
“The company of wine people’s idea was to expand its range, hence a bubbly,” says winemaker Nicky Versfeld from the wine producer’s offices, just outside Stellenbosch. He’s proud of the Infi niti, a wine with an alcohol level of just over 12%. “This is a classic wine, it spent a lot of time on the lees and I think it will only improve with some more bottle ageing of around two to four years.”
Versfeld doesn’t like to compare his wines with others, but admits this vintage reminds him of the French style. It is a pale straw colour with a fine bead of bubble. The nose is toasty with yeast flavours and hints of nuts. The nuts and toast follow through on the palate and it has a full finish.
BUY IT HERE
The Infiniti Brut is available from the cellar door at Welmoed, in the local trade and wine boutiques. It is also aimed at the export market. www.kumkani.com
OUT AND ABOUT IN ROBERTSON
Although tasting Bon Courage’s bubbly is reason enough to head to Robertson, there’s a seemingly endless list of other attractions for visitors:
Visit SOEKERSHOF and marvel at the labyrinths and gardens stretching over 10 hectares. TEL: 023 626 4134, www.soekershof.com
The KLIPDRIFT BRANDY DISTILLERY is a tribute to one of SA’s beloved brandies, with a quirky restaurant and bar. TEL: 023 626 3027, www.klipdrift.co.za
KLAASVOOGDS GAME RESERVE, 10km outside of Robertson offers game drives in open vehicles. TEL: 023 626 6115, www.klaasvoogds.co.za
Locals flock to BOURBON STREET for their signature gourmet burgers. TEL: 023 626 5934
BIRD’S PARADISE is home to hundreds of species of exotic birds. TEL: 023 626 3926
Visit the ROBERTSON ART GALLERY for works of Dale Elliot, Roelof Rossouw and Elzette Welgemoed. TEL: 023 626 5364
DASSIESHOEK NATURE RESERVE offers trails for everyone, from easy strolls to a 38km trail. Accommodation in overnight huts can be arranged. TEL: 023 615 8000
THE FACTS
JACQUES BRUÉRE BLANC DE BLANCS 2007
WINEMAKER: Jacques Bruwer • VARIETY: Chardonnay
Yield: nine to 12 tons per hectare • Sugar level at harvest: 18°B
Alc 12% TA 8.3 g/l RS 6.6 g/l pH 3.33
Ten percent of this wine was barrel fermented. It was kept on the lees for eight
months, then bottled and laid down for 24 months for its second fermentation.
Riddling was done by hand for three weeks, then it was disgorged.
BON COURAGE
Physical address: R317, 8km outside Robertson
GPS coordinates: S33°50’43.8”, E 019°57’38.0”
Tasting and sales: Monday to Friday 8:00 to 17:00, Saturday 9:00 to 15:00
CONTACT:
TEL: 023 626 4178 • EMAIL: wine@boncourage.co.za • www.boncourage.co.za
Café Maude: Monday to Friday 9:00 to 17:00, Saturday 9:00 to 15:00 (open for evening functions). Tel 023 626 6806.
