Franschhoek's Môreson Pinotage
A jug of wine, a loaf of bread and thou
Môreson winemaker Clayton Reabow is sure to win hearts and minds with his Pinotage 2008. By Christian Eedes.
Despite a succession of winemakers, Franschhoek winery Môreson has always managed to produce a top-quality Pinotage. Pierre Wahl (now at Rijk's Private Cellar in Tulbagh) ensured that the 2000 vintage was among the winning wines in the 2001 Absa Top 10 Pinotage competition; Jacques Wentzel (now at Schalk Burger & Sons in Wellington) the 2003 in 2004; and Hannes Meyer (now at Simonsig in Stellenbosch) the 2006 in 2007. Presently it's the 2008 made by Clayton Reabow that's grabbing attention, having been rated 4½ Stars in WINE magazine's annual category tasting.
Reabow, only 28 years old and who'd never had a permanent position in the wine industry before joining Môreson in May 2007, has nevertheless encountered a large amount of publicity already, even if it was not the sort he might have wished for.
He was announced the 2009 Diners Club Young Winemaker of the Year, only for the award to be cast in doubt when it emerged that he was partially rather than fully responsible for the winning wine, namely Môreson Premium Chardonnay 2007.
The experience was deeply unpleasant. Reabow is adamant that he didn't "read around the rules" and even went so far as to confirm that his reduced involvement in the production of the wine met the minimum expectations of the competition organisers prior to submitting his entry.
He points out that while the grapes were crushed and fermented before his employment at Môreson commenced, he was in charge of the barrel maturation and bottling of the wine, completed over a year after his arrival in August 2008.
He feels hurt that his winemaking colleagues have been so quick to think the worst of him and says he has gained nothing from the award. "I can't say it's damaged my reputation as I don't yet have any sort of reputation to speak of."
Môreson gave Diners Club as competition organisers the option of revoking the award, which it refused, and Reabow now simply wants to put the matter behind him. "I'm satisfied I've been honest with myself, the farm and the competition organisers."
But on to the happier topic of the Pinotage 2008. As with all reds in the Môreson range, grapes are bought in. There used to be plantings of red varieties on the farm but these were ripped out 10 years ago due to disappointing fruit quality.
"Our location on the valley floor and the consequent sandy soils meant we were always going to struggle to come up with reds to match the best of the ward."The back label of the Pinotage 2008 specifi es it as being "Wine of Origin Coastal Region" which is as vague as it gets. Reabow lets on that the vineyard in question is in Stellenbosch, but insists that further details regarding its location be off the record.
It's the same vineyard that's been used since 2000, evidence once again that a great site trumps human intervention as the fundamental determinant of wine quality.
Dryland viticulture is practised, the only irrigation being natural rainfall. Thanks to the good water retention of the alluvial soil, the vines experience very little stress throughout the year, while ripening is slow, facilitating optimal flavour development.
In addition, trellising of the vines is low, the vines themselves more or less free-standing which helps to curb vigour and again increase flavour concentration.
Reabow reports that in 2008 the grapes had an excellent analysis in terms of colour and flavour and, whereas Pinotage bunches are typically tight and compact, the grapes he had to work with were remarkably loose, contributing to particularly even ripeness.
Picking occurred in three batches, Reabow saying that he initially considered the first a little under-ripe. He insisted that the remaining grapes come in at full ripeness, regardless of how high the alcohol by volume might eventually be in the resulting wine.
Though what emerged is certainly full-bodied, it is hardly excessively so, and the supposedly under-ripe portion of grapes has done a good job of keeping it fresh and lively. "A happy accident," as Reabow now puts it.
Reabow describes the 2008 harvest as "tough", having not received the most comprehensive hand-over the previous year and all of a sudden been answerable for a total production of 25 000 cases, the Pinotage making up 10% of that.
Nevertheless, he relished the opportunity to try his hand at making a top-end Pinotage having "fallen in love" with the variety after a friend had given him the L'Avenir 2003 to taste blind a few years previously.
"It was undoubtedly good, but I couldn't pin-point what it was. It didn't taste overtly of Pinotage." It struck him that whereas the most suitable stylistics for more traditional varieties are largely agreed upon, those for Pinotage remain up for debate.
Reabow is wary of "extremely overt" Pinotage, especially those with pronounced isoamyl acetate-derived aromatics. Isoamyl acetate is a compound formed by the reaction of alcohol with acetic acid during fermentation: at moderate concentrations, it's responsible for a banana-like aroma, while at higher concentrations it gives Pinotage its infamous nail-polish odour. As far as Reabow's concerned, he'd prefer not even a hint of banana and is looking for his Pinotage to be as "fruit-forward" as possible.
In addition, he wanted the 2008 to be lighter in structure compared to previous vintages in order to be more immediately approachable. He believes that whatever progress has been made with Pinotage in recent times, there is still a huge stigma attached to the variety in international markets."
It's upsetting that our home-grown variety is such a hard-sell," he says, before adding that if Pinotage is going to succeed, then it needs to be made in a style in line with modern consumer taste - wines with very firm tannins requiring long cellaring are rapidly becoming an anachronism.
Whereas the 2007 vintage spent 16 months in French oak, 80% of which was new, Reabow toned down the wood influence on the 2008, the wine undergoing only 13 months in barrel, of which just 30% was first-fill. "The wine had morethan- adequate structure on its own, making extended oaking unnecessary," he says.
It is indeed very drinkable now but should improve in bottle for at least three years, after which it will become a matter of your personal predilection for secondary aromas and flavours.
Indicative of the thoughtfulness that went into the 2008 is the addition by Reabow of 5% pre-malolactic fermentation Pinotage from the 2009 vintage as well as 1.7% Malbec from 2008. "Believe it or not, the Malbec made all the difference despite being such a small component." He particularly likes the way the end-wine displays a spectrum of fruit from red to black.
It's worth mentioning the price of the Môreson Pinotage, which has climbed from R78 a bottle from the farm for the 2006, to R89 for the 2007, to R135 for the 2008. Price as positioning statement? "It has to be," says Reabow. Thirty-thousand bottles of wine rated 4½ Stars at R135 each and at least for now he's earning his salary.
But is Reabow the real deal? After the controversy to do with last year's Young Winemaker of the Year Award, he's under more scrutiny than most. You can't fault his qualifications with him having graduated with a B.Sc Agriculture in Oenology and Viticulture from the University of Stellenbosch in 2004, and he's also completed plenty of work experience in the period prior to joining Môreson with stints locally at Laroche L'Avenir, Distell and Vrede en Lust, and internationally at Château La Fleur de Bouard in Lalande Pomerol as well as in the Mosel, Germany.
Having landed the Môreson job despite what he perceived as his youth and lack of experience counting against him, he says he's promised himself at least 10 years at the winery - a welcome statement of intent in an industry where many winemakers flit between jobs.
What does Reabow do when he's not making wine? "Make wine," he answers. He currently lives on Môreson and confesses to spending far too much time in the cellar. Golf and fly-fishing lessons bought for him by his girlfriend out of concern for the lack of balance in his life have gone unused to date.
"It's early on in my career, so unfortunately I don't have too many interesting stories to tell but I'm very much intent on establishing myself as a winemaker."
Does he have a good working relationship with owner Richard Friedman, who is also CEO of automotive industry product and services supplier Control Instruments?
"Any style changes or additions to the range have to be discussed, but I'd like to think I'm adding my own twist." He says that Friedman was at first nonplussed when Reabow's 2008 Premium Chardonnay was lighter than previous vintages, but became more partial to it when it was one of only two wooded examples of Chardonnay to win double gold at Veritas 2009.
Môreson wines have always been of more-than-passable quality and yet the brand doesn't enjoy quite the profile that it might. Reabow points out that with production capped at 25 000 cases, there simply aren't the volumes to make more of an impact in the market.
The 2003 vintage of Magia, which is the winery's Bordeauxstyle red blend, winning Best in Category and Best Red Wine Overall at the 2007 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show, did a lot to reenergise the brand.
However, while Magia remains the winery's flagship red, he feels the Pinotage is not far off . "I believe that Pinotage can make great wine." You feel he's not going to fail for lack of conviction.
WHAT TO EAT WITH MÔRESON PINOTAGE
For an interesting take on the Môreson Pinotage 2008, winemaker Clayton Reabow suggests serving it slightly chilled with steak tartare.
Reabow says that when it comes to matching food to his wines, he appreciates working with accomplished chef Neil Jewell of on-site restaurant Bread & Wine.
Try the Pinotage 2008 with a quail egg and Zambian chanterelle mushrooms on top of bacon brioche as a particularly good pairing. Bread & Wine, Môreson Wine Farm, Happy Valley Road, Franschhoek.
(Tel 021 876 3692) Restaurants in SA that take allocations of Môreson Pinotage include: Mosaic, Orient Hotel, Old Pretoria Road, Pretoria. Tel 011 371 1190 Spice, 362 Windermere Road, Morningside, Durban. Tel 031 303 6375 The Grillhouse, The Firs, Corner of Cradock and Biermann Roads, Rosebank. Tel 011 880 3945
KING OF CHARCUTERIE
If you've ever tried to book a table at Môreson's Bread & Wine, you'll know that one needs to book well in advance. Thanks largely to Neil Jewell, the chef behind the award-winning, character-filled restaurant, Saturday afternoons see the leafy outside terrace transformed into a bustling al fresco dining experience.
A highlight on the Môreson menu is Neil's charcuterie, which has won him much acclaim. Neil learnt the art of preparing preserved meat products, largely derived from pork, over 10 years ago and now also shares his talents in three-hour demonstrations.
Neil suggests that, when pairing food with Môreson's Pinotage, something "strong flavoured" is needed. For this reason he recommends charcuterie as the perfect match.
Pictured on this month's cover are Scotch eggs, pork rilletes, Spanish dry-cured pork loin, mortadella, herb-smoked pork loin, fennel and Pinotage salami, squash salami, olive and Labneh and pea shoots.
