Climbing the ladder with Graham Beck Wines
"Citrus and brioche, with an explosion of fine mousse," says Pieter Ferreira, CM at Graham Beck, as he hands me my flute of Cuveé Clive 2003. Tasting it I notice just the slightest hint of honey on the back palate. "That is the Chardonnay," he winks.
The cherry on top of what Pieter calls the "aspiration pyramid," the maiden Clive is worth desiring - like big designer sunglasses it makes a statement. How appropriate therefore that South Africa's most expensive bubbly was poured at Graham Beck's son Antony's ocean cottage on Clifton's 2nd Beach. Complementary snacks had nothing on the matching zhoosh-wow setting - after all, it does not get more aspirational than this.
But for those with ample ambition, but slightly less capital, a bubbly a tier or two down from the pinnacle reveals equally good value - with the yet-to-be-released Brut Rosé NV causing a ripple of excitement among members of the media. "It will retail for less than the Pongracz Rosé," whispered Pieter...
A wine you can drink all day, to quote Irene Waller, GB's Robertson winemaker, the Brut Rosé might be the first brick in the pyramid, but it makes for a pretty solid foundation.
Tasting tank samples of some white wine vintages revealed that Graham Beck is in for a promising 2009. Erika Obermeyer seemed particularly proud of the development of this year's Sauvignon Blanc, with both samples displaying appealing fig characteristics.
Among the reds, The Joshua 2005 stands out as a particularly elegant, finely structured wine - the result of the Shiraz and Viognier being co-fermented (as opposed to blended).
Having gotten my injection of aspiration, I felt particularly positive - cradling my bottle of Cuveé Clive I mentioned to Brand Ambassador Arnold Vorster that I will pop the cork when I find a boyfriend. "Don't wait that long," he responded. Lucky for me, then, that the wine has an aging potential of "at least five years".
The Cuveé Clive 2003 retails for R450 (ex-cellar).
