Rupert & Rothschild

Rupert & Rothschild

Few names evoke wealth and sophistication more than either 'Rupert' or 'Rothschild'.With these two families collaborating to make wine at a cellar outside Franschhoek, it makes for a compelling proposition. Yet when Rupert & Rothschild Vignerons cellarmaster Schalk Joubert was approached for an interview he proved media-shy, and it took much cajoling before he agreed to meet. Christian Eedes reports.

 

The R&R winery is situated on a property called Fredericksburg, dating back to 1690. It lies on the Paarl-facing slopes of the Simonsberg and is a partnership between the Rupert family of South Africa and Baron Benjamin de Rothschild, son of the late Baron Edmond de Rothschild of France.

According to the 2006 list of "The World's Richest People" in US magazine Forbes, the Ruperts are in 207th place with a net worth amounting to approximately $3.3 billion (around R23 billion). 57-year-old Johann Rupert is the eldest son of the late South African business tycoon Dr Anton Rupert and CEO of the Swiss-based luxury-goods company Richemont, which owns such desirable brands as Cartier (jewellery), Alfred Dunhill (designer clothing), Baume and Mercier (Swiss watches) and Montblanc (pens). He is also chairman of various major South African companies such as Remgro and VenFin with interests in others such as Distell. Together with his sister Hanneli Koegelenberg, they own two other wine farms in the Franschhoek Valley - La Motte and L'Ormarins.

The Rothschilds are an eminent international banking family with Baron Edmond being the most successful great-grandson of James, founder of the Paris branch of the clan. His descendants also have significant wine interests, owning two Medoc cru bourgeois, Château Clarke and Château Malmaison, as well as being partners in First Growth Château Lafite-Rothschild.

The late Anthonij Rupert, younger brother of Johann, acquired Fredericksburg in 1984, overseeing a gradual process of upgrading. In 1997, the Rothschilds joined forces with the Ruperts and Rupert & Rothschild (R&R) came into being.

There can be no doubt those involved in the running of R&R are a powerful and imperious lot, experienced in ensuring that they are perceived in the best possible light. Winemaker Schalk Joubert has been there since inception and is under no illusions about the standing of his two respective employers. "If at all possible, don't write about me. Rupert & Rothschild will be going strong long after I've gone."

Joubert comes from something of a mini wine dynasty himself: his brother Meyer is winemaker at the family farm Joubert-Tradauw just outside Barrydale in the Little Karoo, while his other brother Cobus is business manager for Distell's Cape Legends portfolio in the USA and Canada.

Now 40 years old, Schalk Joubert was not exactly predestined to end up working at such a prestigious winery. He studied a B.A. in Industrial Pyschology at Stellenbosch University before taking on a marketing position at La Motte. This was during the time that Jacques Borman (now of Boschkloof) was in charge of the cellar. After a while, Joubert gave up his desk job to take tutelage from the accomplished winemaker, and things unfolded from there.

Though the Fredericksburg property measures 90ha in size, only 18ha of this is under vine. According to Joubert, it's by no means the best property in the area and he's quite happy to buy fruit from all around the winelands. He works with 14 different grape growers and 52 different vineyards to produce just three wines, the Baroness Nadine Chardonnay, the flagship Bordeaux-style red blend Baron Edmond and the bigger-volume Classique, also a red blend.

All this makes place of origin somewhat of a moot point when it comes to R&R wines. However, Joubert contends that most consumers don't care about the ever-controversial notion of terroir. "The wines are labeled Wine of Origin Western Cape but I'd [source grapes from even further afield and] adopt the label Wine of Origin Africa if it allowed me to make a better end-product."

An uncommon asset that R&R has had since 1999 is input from über-consultant Michel Rolland, who visits "three to four times a year". Rolland made his reputation on Bordeaux's Right Bank, where he facilitated a swing towards wines of greater ripeness and concentration with smoother, softer tannins, and these qualities are very apparent in the R&R wines. Joubert insists that Rolland is not in the least bit "dictatorial" and allows "freedom of expression" both in terms of vineyard management and winemaking. "The most important thing he has taught me is patience…. If you've waited all year for the grapes, why rush the winemaking process?"

Joubert also has access to advice from his counterparts at Château Clark and relates that they have typically been more helpful when it comes to vineyard management than cellar technique. "When it comes to winemaking, there's no need for us South Africans to stand back relative to the French. However, when it comes to growing grapes, it's a different story."

Grapes for the Baroness Nadine typically come from Durbanville, Elgin and a prominent property in Noordhoek (work it out…). The 2005 vintage was released in December last year, with a recommended price of R143 a bottle. Though production was the not insignificant amount of 1500 cases, it sold out almost immediately.
At the time of the interview in mid-April, the 2002 vintage of Baron Edmond was available for R198 a bottle, although the 2003 was scheduled for release at the end of May. Total production of the 2002 was 7000 cases, the wine made up of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon and 34% Merlot, having spent 17 months in 80% new and 20% second-fill French oak barrels. The 2002 is a remarkably complete if relatively under-stated wine from a difficult vintage, while the 2003 again displays the lavish character usually associated with the label.

The blend varies according to vintage. Joubert has identified five vineyards that in principle are capable of providing the necessary quality for Baron Edmond. He gets Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from Simonsberg farm Remhoogte, Cabernet Sauvignon from Somerset West farm Ingwe, some Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot from sites in Darling, and Cabernet Sauvignon from Langkloof near Uniondale in the Little Karoo. He explains that the fruit from Darling hasn't featured much to date as the vineyards are still young and don't provide the necessary structure.

Regarding the newly established Langkloof vineyards, Joubert can barely contain his excitement. He is able to harvest his Cabernet extra late, and this helps provide fruit that's big in flavour but relatively low in sugar, which ultimately makes for wines that are less alcoholic. "Getting full phenolic ripeness without 16% alcohol is the biggest challenge for South African winemakers."

The real money spinner for R&R, however, is the Classique, total production of the 2004 vintage amounting to 34 000 cases at a recommended retail price of R84 a bottle. This wine has gained a phenomenal following, with Alan Pick of high-profile Sandton restaurant Butcher Shop & Grill, for instance, attesting to it being his number one best-selling red wine.

Joubert is quick to point out that the Classique should not be perceived as the "left-overs" from Baron Edmond. Typically the grapes destined for this label are picked slightly earlier to preserve freshness and red rather than black fruit character. The vines involved are also slightly younger, resulting in fruit that isn't quite as full-flavoured, and the wine gets less wood treatment than Baron Edmond, usually spending 15 to 16 months in 15% new and 85% second-fill French oak barrels.

It's also revealed that Classique has always contained "a touch" of Pinotage, typically no more than around 1% or 2% of the blend. In the case of the 2001 vintage, the Pinotage element crept up to 4% and Joubert felt compelled to announce its use - something he might wish he hadn't done. "I quickly found out that the market perceived Pinotage as cheapening the blend, so now I just don't mention it all."

Just the sort of worldly-wise attitude you'd expect from a Rupert & Rothschild employee. While the wines are intrinsically classy, in a particular style, there can be no doubt that part of the success of the enterprise is due to the reputation of its backers. Joubert admits that the association with the Ruperts and the Rothschilds helps "a helluva lot" with initial sales, but recalls Johann Rupert advising him that it's not the first orders that should cause excitement but the second and third orders. Evidently there are plenty of consumers who really like the R&R brand, now exported to 54 countries and "available from Shanghai to Paris".