Carl Schultz
Diners Club Winemaker of the Year 2005, Carl Schultz
Hartenberg's Carl Schultz was so sure he wouldn't be the Diners Club International Winemaker of the Year that he turned down the invitation to attend the awards lunch... It was only when he was threatened with disqualification that he relented. Fiona McDonald interviews this modest champion Merlot maker.
Consumers love it but Merlot gets a bad rap critically. It was lambasted in vehemently foul language by the anti-hero of last year's wine movie, Sideways, who swore never to drink "another glass of bleep-bleep Mer-low!"
How ironic, then, that the wine he has cherished and coveted for years - Chateau Cheval Blanc - is one with a conspicuously high proportion of Merlot. That's the contradiction of the grape, says Carl Schultz of Hartenberg, Stellenbosch, who has won the 2005 Diners Club Winemaker of the Year title for his Merlot 2004. "Everyone thinks it's easy - both to drink, grow and make - but it's not. That's something we have learned over the past 11 years at Hartenberg."
In his off-the-cuff speech at the Diners Club awards lunch, Schultz also referred to the disappointing results of this category at WINE magazine's annual panel tastings. It's a hoary old chestnut that Merlot - while popular among the wine-drinking public - just doesn't harvest the crop of stars that other grapes do.
Schultz says the news of his win came as a "bolt out of the blue - I had no idea.
"I'm familiar with some of the other wines which were in the top 10. At tastings I've presented the Longridge Merlot 2003, which Frans Smit won a trophy for at the International Wine & Spirit Competition last year, and my brother Rudi [assistant winemaker at Thelema] had given me a bottle of the Thelema Merlot Reserve 2003. They're both outstanding wines and I said to my wife Karin that it would take a helluva wine to beat them.
In fact, I remember saying to her when I entered the Hartenberg that if we were in there, it would be with a one in 10 chance..."
Yet this year's judging panel had no hesitation in selecting the Hartenberg Merlot 2004 as the pick of the bunch. The panel was chaired by Dave Hughes, with experienced Napa Valley winemaker and owner of Vilafonté wines in South Africa Zelma Long, Master of Wine Cathy van Zyl, winemaker Tariro Masayiti of Nederburg, Cape Wine Master Margaret Fry, retailer and long-time Diners Club judge Vaughan Johnson, and Carrie Adams of Norman Goodfellows in Johannesburg also assessing the entries.
Hughes described the winning wine, which spent 19 months in 225-litre French oak barrels and has an alcohol level of 14,5%, as "a beaut" with great balance. "Complexity despite its youth ... with lots of potential. Accessible as it is now ... will benefit from a few more years in the bottle."
Schultz was fulsome in his praise of his cellar and viticultural team at Hartenberg, deciding to split his R15 000 cash prize with them (won in addition to an air-ticket to a wine-producing country of his choice). "It's fantastic for Hartenberg. We've really worked hard and had some difficult times over the past years but we've definitely turned a corner."
Apart from anything else, the entire cellar had to be rebuilt following the discovery of a bacteriological spoilage problem - the result of a chemical used in a borer beetle treatment of the old cellar's wooden beams. The less said about that the better, but Hartenberg Estate has come back with a vengeance, taking its fair share of the national and international wine laurels of late. Both the 2000 and 2001 Merlot won double gold medals at the annual Veritas awards, and the Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 was the top red at the annual South African Airways awards in 2004 - a feat achieved by the Shiraz 2000 the year before. And the Chardonnay 2003 won a trophy at the 2004 Decanter world wine awards.
All of this Schultz attributes to greater focus on every aspect of their game, with former Antinori chief oenologist Alberto Antonini having worked with him and viticulturist Frans Snyman as a consultant for the past five years. "Whatever we set our minds to, we're going to do to the best of our ability. Alberto was initially supposed to be consulting only in the winery but he soon said that the vineyards are the key. He's taught us so many interesting things about the grape - but he also got us to change our philosophy and strategy."
Although Hartenberg's reputation is built on its excellent Shiraz, Schultz points out that the Merlot outsells the Shiraz. "I think one of the reasons Merlot doesn't perform well in terms of stars, awards or competitions is because there are only a few good examples around. I think I can only count about five to 10 examples every year which I taste and can say 'yes, that's what Merlot's about'. Make no mistake, I've tasted an awful lot of disappointing Merlots...
"No one really gives it the attention it deserves - and Merlot wants an easy ride. It's a bit like Sauvignon Blanc for me in that regard. It can't be planted just anywhere and there are elements of its genetic makeup that make it a difficult grape to farm. It's very susceptible to vintage variation - far more so than other grapes. It's also easier if you have the privilege of various slopes and soil types. If you plant Merlot on deep, rich soils, you're going to be up against it. It'll grow vigorously and you'll need to restrict that."
Hartenberg's experience has been that it does better on less vigorous soils, and lower down a slope because the plant can't abide water stress. "Merlot should be soft, luscious, pleasing and rich. Its genetics dictate that its tannins are soft - it's never going to rival Cabernet, for example. But then again some Merlots can have very aggressive, hard tannins and that's a result of the grape reacting to its growing conditions."
Schultz points out that Merlot berries are generally 50-60% bigger than those of Cabernet Sauvignon. "A Cab berry will be pea size whereas a Merlot grape will be about the size of a child's marble. There is thus less tannin because of the higher proportion of juice in the Merlot berry, so if you're looking for concentration you need to draw off juice - and you need to be really sure that the fruit is phenolically ripe in the first place."
The Hartenberg team not only monitor conditions with three mini weather stations on the 170ha estate (90ha of which are under vine); they also utilise pressure bomb tests on the leaves - and Merlot gets its own little gadget. Schultz explains that the vine's sensitivity to water stress sees its stem swell and contract. "We have a metal sleeve (that fits around the base of the stem) that monitors the flexion of the stem.
"Soil moisture management is critical, so from flowering to berry set it's vital that Merlot is happy. Then from berry set to veraison [colouring of the grapes] we need to control stress to determine the ultimate size of the berry. We control what we can control, obviously, just to keep the vine ticking over. By stressing the vine mildly at this time, it sends a message that it needs to expend energy sustaining itself rather than simply replicating cells as it would want to."
Schultz says Merlot is not dissimilar to Chardonnay in that ripening can be very uneven. "It's not unusual to have a grass-green bunch, a 50% ripe bunch and
another 80% ripe bunch on the same vine. So green harvesting is essential."
Up to 30-40% of the crop can be summarily pruned away at this stage, and consultant Antonini is adamant that at 80% veraison anything that's unripe must come off. "We want perfection viticulture. Given the right ingredients, the wine must be good. If you look at the top wines and wine properties in the world, they either have great viticulture or great wine-makers who also have strong viticultural knowledge."
One of the most important decisions taken at Hartenberg in recent years was to invest in labour. "We no longer use contract labour. We have upped our labour force and it's paid dividends because we have the same people performing the key functions year in and year out. We've ensured they're properly trained and they play a huge role in getting great fruit into the cellar.
"But I'm not sure Merlot will ever be mainstream," admits Schultz. "Very few producers make it as a reserve. We did one in 2003 that'll only be released in 2006 - single vineyard. But as with most other producers the best dollop of it is going into a Bordeaux blend."
The wine Schultz is referring to is the McKenzie, a premium blend to be released this year - along with a super-premium Shiraz, very different from the Gravel Hill Shiraz. All of which demonstrates how seriously Schultz takes his vocation and how deeply he thinks about winemaking, something recognised by his peers who invited him to join the prestigious Cape Winemakers Guild in 1996.
So where did it all start? "Probably with my dad - he was a headmaster in Montagu and had a great love for botany and all plants, and it kind of rubbed off.
"I suppose I could have studied nature conservation or forestry and been equally happy. I knew I definitely didn't want a desk job...
"Interestingly, wine wasn't part of family life. I probably had my first glass of wine when I was in the army! So there's no romantic link..."
Schultz enrolled at Elsenburg, intending to follow the viticultural route rather than winemaking. "I was absolutely fascinated that this one plant actually had two life-cycles - the first the growing of the vine and production of grapes, and then a second incarnation when those grapes were turned into wine."
He worked hard and was one of the few students accepted for the third year of winemaking at Elsenburg. That was followed by a stint at one of South Africa's greatest nurseries of winemaking talent, Simonsig.
"You learned so much there because they had this big range of wines and produced good quality across the range. They also instilled a serious work ethic in everyone and a discipline of doing things right. I respect Johan Malan enormously."
Jobs were hard to come by in the early '90s so Schultz took a job with Calitzdorp Co-op, which he says was also a great experience. "I spent about 75% of each day out in the vineyards and all the other local farmers were fantastically generous with their knowledge."
The irony is that Schultz nearly didn't apply for the Hartenberg winemaking position, believing it would go to an older winemaker with more experience. "Turns out they were looking for a young winemaker, so I applied and was lucky enough to be appointed in 1993."
It's a move neither the McKenzies nor Schultz ever regretted. "Ken McKenzie was an amazing guy. He had this ability to pick the right people to do the job and trusted them enough to get on with it. I have so much respect for both Tania and Fiona who have been in charge since their dad died," says Schultz, recounting that Tania was in Australia when the news of his Diners Club win hit. "She just screamed and then cried - and then forbade us from holding any celebrations until she returned. It means so much to all of us at Hartenberg."
The next question is what does Schultz do when not making wine? "I try and spend quality time with the family."
He often bundles wife Karin, 10-year-old daughter Michelle and five-year-old son Mark into the 4x4 to explore the countryside. "We once did a tough trail that took us eight hours and we only went 20km! I feel quite sorry for the vehicle in those kinds of conditions. We often do a local trail which allows us to camp out overnight. We all just love being in nature."
His other passion is white water kayaking, something he only discovered relatively recently while on an Orange River rafting trip with Karin. "You really have to pit your wits against the river and there's no margin for error - or time to think about anything else. I think that's what I enjoy the most. Big white water tests your fear levels, physical skill, fitness and your mental capability. Every free moment I have, I kayak."
Schultz has been fortunate enough to travel extensively to wine regions the world over - and has also used the opportunity to kayak some amazing places. Chile tops the list for him because of the pristine nature and water. "A group of us once did 19 rivers in 21 days! We paddled ourselves to a standstill... Chile is the most amazing country - the rivers and mountains are so unspoiled."
One thing is certain, Hartenberg and Carl Schultz are riding the crest of a wave right now.
2005 diners club winemaker of the year top 10 winner:
Carl Schultz, Hartenberg Merlot 2004
Luca Bein, Luca and Ingrid Bein Merlot 2003
Neil Bester, Plaisir de Merle Merlot 2002
Charles Hopkins & Pieter Ferreira, Graham Beck Merlot 2003
Johan Kruger, Sterhuis Merlot 2003
John Loubser, Steenberg Merlot 2003
Frans Smit, Spier Private Collection Merlot 2002
Francois van Zyl, Laibach Merlot 2003
Kobie Viljoen, Longridge Merlot 2003
Gyles Webb, Thelema Merlot Reserve 2003
Diners Club International website: www.dinersclub.co.za
