Capaia
Published: 13 Feb 09
Red:
from Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot & Petit Verdot & Cabernet Franc (Wooded)
Its name salutes its Cape roots and is the first ever to proclaim "Wine of Origin: Philadelphia". The maiden 2003 vintage recently became one of only 22 wines
ever awarded 5 Stars by WINE magazine. Fiona McDonald tells the story of Capaia.It was with hunting rifle in hand that Baron Alexander von Essen first set booted
foot on African soil in pursuit of four-footed trophies. That was more than 30
years ago, when he hunted in the Sudan, Tanzania and the former Rhodesia, gradually
moving his annual safaris further south. Now he seeks to create a trophy that
is still firmly rooted in the African soil. His goal is to make one of South Africa's
best wines - if not the very best.
"It started with hunting but in 1976 my wife Ingrid said she was tired of always going to bush camps. She wanted to see the sea."
A smart hunting operator organised a visit that combined both bush and beach and the Von Essens simply "fell in love with South Africa," Ingrid recalls. "It was a great place to have holidays - especially for children. So we came back every year."
At one point they decided to take their annual holiday elsewhere for a change. "After four days we looked at one another and agreed to fly home, pack our bags and return to South Africa instead."
Those annual holidays eventually led to them buying a home, first in Clifton and then in Bantry Bay, and finally acquiring permanent residency, with Ingrid spending six months of every year here while Alexander shuttles back and forwards to Germany. His wine business demands a lot of his time, so he spends between three and four months here.
Although his background is in motoring, having owned a BMW agency in Germany, his life-long enjoyment of wine eventually translated into business and the Selection Alexander Baron von Essen is now renowned throughout Europe.
"People know that they are getting really good wines and my selections are truly personal selections. It's not just that a label with my name is stuck on an existing bottle of wine. It's a wine made for me to my specification."
The Selection Alexander Baron von Essen includes top Spanish, French, German and Italian wines, among others, and it was through his connection with the "first family" of Italian wines, the Antinoris, that Capaia came about.
On a holiday visit to South Africa, Lodovigo Antinori was bowled over by the potential. "He said that California, Australia and Chile had all produced world-class wines and the chance still existed to do that with a South African wine. Lodovigo was really excited and said we could do it. I wasn't too keen. I said to him I'm involved in marketing and selling wine - not making it!"
But Antinori's enthusiasm rubbed off and in 1997, with good friend Jan "Boland" Coetzee's assistance, the hunt was on. "We looked at so many places," Ingrid says, rolling her eyes.
It was sheep pasture and wheat fields at the back of Koeberg Kop, west of the N7 and north of Durbanville, that Coet-zee recommended. The farm's name was De Hoop.
Fully committed, Von Essen wanted to ensure that everything was done right. Top international soil scientist Daniel Schuster dug 300 profile holes - up to 2,5m deep. Once the analysis was in, the deal was sealed on the shake of a hand between Von Essen and De Hoop owner Kosie Loubser.
Through his Antinori association, Von Essen knew Hungarian winemaker Tibor Gàl, the man behind the fabled Supertuscan wine Ornellaia (the 1998 Ornellaia was judged wine of the year by Wine Spectator in 2001). Hence the "aia" suffix for the new project's name - Capaia. Gàl was involved in the planning of plantings and, with both Ingrid and architect Piet Engelbrecht, the design of the ultra-modern cellar. "Yes, it's a modern cellar but it's one where the winemaker must work - not sit in his office playing on the computer!"
Unfortunately the Antinori board were not as enthusiastic at committing to Capaia as Lodovigo, so the Von Essens took full ownership in1999, granting Gàl a 15% share for his involvement.
That was not the only setback experienced. There was a snafu with all the tender young vines imported from Bordeaux. They were sent via ship instead of air.
Although it was thought that they would recover, once planted and growing they never thrived. After two years they were removed and a further 125 000 vines sourced from a top nursery in Bordeaux - and air freighted out!
"We'd be much further along the road if it hadn't been for those two things," Von Essen admits. But there have been lighter moments too - such as when there was no response whatsoever to their order for wooden fermenters from top French cooper Taransaud. "We thought maybe they didn't get the fax - so we sent it again. Still no reply, so I asked Tibor if he could find out if there was a problem."
Naturally when one of the world's best winemakers made the request wheels were swiftly set in motion. "Taransaud couldn't believe there was this massive order for these special wooden vessels coming from a winery they'd never heard of - especially one in South Africa!"
In November Taransaud is flying out an entire team of coopers to assemble the last tranche of wooden fermenters at Capaia. Once installed, the 54 wooden fermenters will make Capaia the single biggest installation of its kind in the world!
A distant second is California's Opus One with 40…
The idea was always to make a top-notch Bordeaux blend, with additional production going into a second range - Blue Grove Hill. The plantings reflect this quest for quality, with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc dominating. There is also Petit Verdot and Sauvig-non Blanc planted on the 58ha farm.
Current winemaker Mark van Buuren was thrown into the deep end after joining in August 2004. "I was somewhat sceptical of the cellar with its 'ski lift' grape delivery system," he admits. He also only had a few days working with Gàl in the 2005 harvest before the Hungarian's tragic death in a car accident on the Hels-hoogte pass outside Stellenbosch.
"Tibor arrived on Sunday and was killed on the Wednesday. We'd only taken in two tanks of Merlot at that stage."
"Ingrid is a genius with organisation," Von Essen admits. "100% is not good enough. It must be 120%!" This meant every step Tibor had taken with the previous two harvests had already been documented and filed, giving Van Buuren some strong points of reference. "He did very well. We were very impressed with how he coped," the Von Essens say.
The idea is that grape selection takes place in the vineyard. Picking is done into individual lug boxes with no more than 12kg of grapes in each. Once at the cellar the boxes are hooked up to the ski lift conveyor and delivered directly to the wooden fermenters via gravity. "We have naturally low yields, even though the vines are young. Our viticulturist Mattie Bothma has done a superb job in the vineyards. We're strict on balance and yields," Van Buuren says.
Something that impresses tasters is the vibrancy of the fruit and the elegance of the tannins in the blended reds, which the Capaia team attributes to fermentation in large wooden vats, using natural yeasts. Capaia also differs from many other wineries in that the assemblage of the blend is done just a few months after harvest, at the time of its first racking. The blend components are then assembled and returned to barrel, with a further 12 months for the Capaia and nine months for Blue Grove Hill. "It's something Tibor did and I think it's a good thing for the various components to marry in barrel and become integrated over a long period," Van Buuren says.
With its maiden 2003 vintage the Capaia received 5 Stars from WINE magazine and 4½ Stars from the 2005 Platter Guide. Production of both Capaia and Blue Grove Hill is in the region of 70 000 bottles in total at present, with 55% of that being Blue Grove. The 2003 Capaia sold out both locally and internationally.
"Capaia 2003 was launched in Europe for just €28 (R220) - and it sold out. Now, people are paying upwards of €60 (R480) for a bottle … if they can get it!"
The local retail price at release was R125.
Von Essen is adamant that the prices will not be increased for at least two years. In his European wine business he has seen the damage done by "speculative pricing" - unsold product sitting on shelves. "I want people to buy the wine because it's affordable and because it over-delivers on quality. They should feel that they have got a bargain."
Blue Grove Hill at only R50 a bottle delivers exactly that - a quality which many higher priced wines don't.
He's obviously pleased that Capaia has already done so well - both in terms of acclaim and sales. "And that's before our best fruit is included," he enthusiastically states. He, Van Buuren and their newly appointed international consultant, Count Stephan von Neipperg of Bordeaux's Chateaux Canon-la-Gaffelière and La Mondotte, believe the best is yet to come. "The Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon from Scali Kop are amazing."
So from 2006 production will jump substantially with Capaia and Blue Grove Hill being more readily available, along with increased production of Blue Grove Hill Sauvignon Blanc.
Although the rise to prominence has been rapid, Baron von Essen is at pains to state that this is no flash in the pan. He's in it for the long haul, wanting to establish Capaia as a renowned South African and international quality wine.
"It started with hunting but in 1976 my wife Ingrid said she was tired of always going to bush camps. She wanted to see the sea."
A smart hunting operator organised a visit that combined both bush and beach and the Von Essens simply "fell in love with South Africa," Ingrid recalls. "It was a great place to have holidays - especially for children. So we came back every year."
At one point they decided to take their annual holiday elsewhere for a change. "After four days we looked at one another and agreed to fly home, pack our bags and return to South Africa instead."
Those annual holidays eventually led to them buying a home, first in Clifton and then in Bantry Bay, and finally acquiring permanent residency, with Ingrid spending six months of every year here while Alexander shuttles back and forwards to Germany. His wine business demands a lot of his time, so he spends between three and four months here.
Although his background is in motoring, having owned a BMW agency in Germany, his life-long enjoyment of wine eventually translated into business and the Selection Alexander Baron von Essen is now renowned throughout Europe.
"People know that they are getting really good wines and my selections are truly personal selections. It's not just that a label with my name is stuck on an existing bottle of wine. It's a wine made for me to my specification."
The Selection Alexander Baron von Essen includes top Spanish, French, German and Italian wines, among others, and it was through his connection with the "first family" of Italian wines, the Antinoris, that Capaia came about.
On a holiday visit to South Africa, Lodovigo Antinori was bowled over by the potential. "He said that California, Australia and Chile had all produced world-class wines and the chance still existed to do that with a South African wine. Lodovigo was really excited and said we could do it. I wasn't too keen. I said to him I'm involved in marketing and selling wine - not making it!"
But Antinori's enthusiasm rubbed off and in 1997, with good friend Jan "Boland" Coetzee's assistance, the hunt was on. "We looked at so many places," Ingrid says, rolling her eyes.
It was sheep pasture and wheat fields at the back of Koeberg Kop, west of the N7 and north of Durbanville, that Coet-zee recommended. The farm's name was De Hoop.
Fully committed, Von Essen wanted to ensure that everything was done right. Top international soil scientist Daniel Schuster dug 300 profile holes - up to 2,5m deep. Once the analysis was in, the deal was sealed on the shake of a hand between Von Essen and De Hoop owner Kosie Loubser.
Through his Antinori association, Von Essen knew Hungarian winemaker Tibor Gàl, the man behind the fabled Supertuscan wine Ornellaia (the 1998 Ornellaia was judged wine of the year by Wine Spectator in 2001). Hence the "aia" suffix for the new project's name - Capaia. Gàl was involved in the planning of plantings and, with both Ingrid and architect Piet Engelbrecht, the design of the ultra-modern cellar. "Yes, it's a modern cellar but it's one where the winemaker must work - not sit in his office playing on the computer!"
Unfortunately the Antinori board were not as enthusiastic at committing to Capaia as Lodovigo, so the Von Essens took full ownership in1999, granting Gàl a 15% share for his involvement.
That was not the only setback experienced. There was a snafu with all the tender young vines imported from Bordeaux. They were sent via ship instead of air.
Although it was thought that they would recover, once planted and growing they never thrived. After two years they were removed and a further 125 000 vines sourced from a top nursery in Bordeaux - and air freighted out!
"We'd be much further along the road if it hadn't been for those two things," Von Essen admits. But there have been lighter moments too - such as when there was no response whatsoever to their order for wooden fermenters from top French cooper Taransaud. "We thought maybe they didn't get the fax - so we sent it again. Still no reply, so I asked Tibor if he could find out if there was a problem."
Naturally when one of the world's best winemakers made the request wheels were swiftly set in motion. "Taransaud couldn't believe there was this massive order for these special wooden vessels coming from a winery they'd never heard of - especially one in South Africa!"
In November Taransaud is flying out an entire team of coopers to assemble the last tranche of wooden fermenters at Capaia. Once installed, the 54 wooden fermenters will make Capaia the single biggest installation of its kind in the world!
A distant second is California's Opus One with 40…
The idea was always to make a top-notch Bordeaux blend, with additional production going into a second range - Blue Grove Hill. The plantings reflect this quest for quality, with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc dominating. There is also Petit Verdot and Sauvig-non Blanc planted on the 58ha farm.
Current winemaker Mark van Buuren was thrown into the deep end after joining in August 2004. "I was somewhat sceptical of the cellar with its 'ski lift' grape delivery system," he admits. He also only had a few days working with Gàl in the 2005 harvest before the Hungarian's tragic death in a car accident on the Hels-hoogte pass outside Stellenbosch.
"Tibor arrived on Sunday and was killed on the Wednesday. We'd only taken in two tanks of Merlot at that stage."
"Ingrid is a genius with organisation," Von Essen admits. "100% is not good enough. It must be 120%!" This meant every step Tibor had taken with the previous two harvests had already been documented and filed, giving Van Buuren some strong points of reference. "He did very well. We were very impressed with how he coped," the Von Essens say.
The idea is that grape selection takes place in the vineyard. Picking is done into individual lug boxes with no more than 12kg of grapes in each. Once at the cellar the boxes are hooked up to the ski lift conveyor and delivered directly to the wooden fermenters via gravity. "We have naturally low yields, even though the vines are young. Our viticulturist Mattie Bothma has done a superb job in the vineyards. We're strict on balance and yields," Van Buuren says.
Something that impresses tasters is the vibrancy of the fruit and the elegance of the tannins in the blended reds, which the Capaia team attributes to fermentation in large wooden vats, using natural yeasts. Capaia also differs from many other wineries in that the assemblage of the blend is done just a few months after harvest, at the time of its first racking. The blend components are then assembled and returned to barrel, with a further 12 months for the Capaia and nine months for Blue Grove Hill. "It's something Tibor did and I think it's a good thing for the various components to marry in barrel and become integrated over a long period," Van Buuren says.
With its maiden 2003 vintage the Capaia received 5 Stars from WINE magazine and 4½ Stars from the 2005 Platter Guide. Production of both Capaia and Blue Grove Hill is in the region of 70 000 bottles in total at present, with 55% of that being Blue Grove. The 2003 Capaia sold out both locally and internationally.
"Capaia 2003 was launched in Europe for just €28 (R220) - and it sold out. Now, people are paying upwards of €60 (R480) for a bottle … if they can get it!"
The local retail price at release was R125.
Von Essen is adamant that the prices will not be increased for at least two years. In his European wine business he has seen the damage done by "speculative pricing" - unsold product sitting on shelves. "I want people to buy the wine because it's affordable and because it over-delivers on quality. They should feel that they have got a bargain."
Blue Grove Hill at only R50 a bottle delivers exactly that - a quality which many higher priced wines don't.
He's obviously pleased that Capaia has already done so well - both in terms of acclaim and sales. "And that's before our best fruit is included," he enthusiastically states. He, Van Buuren and their newly appointed international consultant, Count Stephan von Neipperg of Bordeaux's Chateaux Canon-la-Gaffelière and La Mondotte, believe the best is yet to come. "The Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon from Scali Kop are amazing."
So from 2006 production will jump substantially with Capaia and Blue Grove Hill being more readily available, along with increased production of Blue Grove Hill Sauvignon Blanc.
Although the rise to prominence has been rapid, Baron von Essen is at pains to state that this is no flash in the pan. He's in it for the long haul, wanting to establish Capaia as a renowned South African and international quality wine.
Capaia fact file:
Cellar: Botterberg Road, off N7, Philadelphia, West Coast
Owners: Alexander and Ingrid Baron von Essen
GM: Francois Austin
Winemaker: Mark van Buuren (Since August 2004)
Consultant: Stephan von Neipperg
Viticulturist: Mattie Bothma (since January 2004)
Visits: By appointment only
Established: 200l (producing wine since 2003)
Under vine: 58 ha (83% red 17% white) Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit
Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc.
Production: 55 000l (30 000l Blue Grove Hill, 25 000l Capaia)
Flagship: Capaia (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot)
Other wines: Blue Grove Hill red (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet
Franc), Blue Grove Hill Sauvignon Blanc
Ratings: Capaia - 5 Stars WINE magazine, June 2005
Capaia - 4½ Stars, John Platter Wine Guide 2005
TASTING NOTE: Redolent of sweet spices, pencil box, cassis and fruitcake.
Palate packed with dark berry fruit - plums and mulberry. Tomato leaves and
inky chocolate. Oak is well integrated. Ripe and smooth, gentle yet gutsy. Gorgeous.
