Standing tall

STANDING TALL

The success that Stellenbosch winery Kleine Zalze enjoys with Chenin Blanc suggests that the rehabilitation of this long downtrodden variety is almost complete. By Christian Eedes.

 

Chenin Blanc is a pretty big deal for Stellenbosch winery Kleine Zalze. Production of the Foot of Africa export label currently amounts to over three million litres and it is the top white wine brand by volume in Sweden.

One tier up from that is another export label called Zalze, amounting to 30 000 cases, and above that is the unwooded Cellar Selection Bush Vines, also coming in at 30 000 cases.

Finally, at the pinnacle of the range, is the Vineyard Selection Barrel Fermented at around 4 500 cases, the 2008 vintage rating 5 Stars and emerging as overall winner in this year's Chenin Blanc Challenge, sponsored by Guala Closures.

Even so, Kleine Zalze co-owner Kobus Basson, who was formerly an attorney before deciding to focus on running the Kleine Zalze winery and associated operations that include a golf course, residential property development and luxury lodge, feels that Chenin has yet to reach its full potential. The Vineyard Selection 2008, for instance, sells for only R50 a bottle, which nobody could possibly consider exorbitant.

"I know many in the industry will consider the wine too cheaply priced but I'm trying to take consumers on a journey. I don't want to lose those who've come this far."

The Vineyard Selection is a case in point when it comes to proving that old vines produce grapes that make more complex, better-quality wines. The bulk of grapes for the 2008 vintage came from bush vines 25 years old on average with some planted as far back as 1964, these belonging to contracted growers operating in the Helderberg area between Vergenoegd near Faure through to Ken Forrester Wines.

A remarkable attribute of the 2008 is just how rich and expressive it is, and cellarmaster Johan Joubert relates that the berry size is much smaller on bush as opposed to trellised vines, as are bunch weights, making for greater flavour concentration in the end-wine.

But a five-armed old vine can be quite open to the sun, causing the grapes to go beyond optimally ripe and to raisin, and so his vineyard team must work hard to close the leaf canopy to provide protection. On the other hand, by virtue of the vineyards being relatively close to False Bay, they receive a cooling afternoon breeze in the lead-up to harvest that stretches out the time of ripening, resulting in a wider range of flavours.

This excellence of fruit quality doesn't come cheap, however: Joubert reveals that he pays around R5 000 a ton for his best grapes, way over the industry average for Chenin and more in line with the going rate for premium red wine grapes.

However big and bold the 2008 may be, it is by no means clumsy and possesses beautiful balance. This is key for Basson, whose conception of an ideal Chenin Blanc is a wine that, while full, is "alive and not dull".

Whereas the Vineyard Selection was made entirely from the grapes of old bush vines in the past, the 2008 includes 15% of juice from Kleine Zalze's own young trellised vines to provide greater freshness; similarly, while previous vintages contained up to 30% of grapes infected with botrytis cinerea (a rot that increases sugar and viscosity), this was cut to just over 10% in the case of the 2008.

In the cellar, Joubert took an understated approach to wooding, the wine being fermented and matured for eight months in second- and third-fill 400l French oak barrels. When it comes to fermentation, he opts to inoculate rather than using natural yeast as he feels this gives him "cleaner" flavours. In the case of the 2008, the fermentation was very drawn out - about two months in duration compared to a typical two weeks to one month - which pleased Joubert on account of the extra complexity thus delivered. Malolactic fermentation (an optional process after alcoholic fermentation to soften the wine) was not induced, again to preserve freshness.

Both Basson and Joubert are convinced that the next step on the path necessary to bring the consumer to Chenin Blanc enlightenment is wines of greater elegance and refinement. Whatever else can be said about the 2008, it's not a delicate little number and some will find it too sweet (residual sugar is 7.3 g/l) and too powerful (alcohol by volume is 15.18%).

It is here that the old vines are something of a double-edged sword: while they provide all the complexity and concentration of flavour that make the Vineyard Selection a stand-out wine, the grapes are typically picked later and hence riper than those from trellised vines. "There's no question we need to get sugar and alcohol down but not at the expense of flavour. It's tricky. You can't serve both gods."

After a point, however, the taste profile and technical analysis of the 2008 are the preserve of wine nerds and what occupies Basson's mind perhaps even more is why Chenin Blanc has yet to reach tipping point in commercial terms despite the quality offered across all price points.

He feels that in broad terms Sauvignon Blanc owes its popularity to its overt and easily recognisable aromatics, Chardonnay to how bland and inoffensive it is, while Chenin Blanc provides the more rewarding attributes of mouthfeel and balance. "Chenin's performance in the market place is not helped by its ‘Steen' background. It's associated with the Old South Africa," he notes.

As long as consumers fail to recognise the quality to be had from the Chenin Blanc category, then old vines such as those utilised by Kleine Zalze are in danger of being uprooted in favour of more modish and hence more lucrative varieties.

"Sooner rather than later I've got to get the price up of what I sell the Vineyard Selection for so that I can achieve the margins that will keep the vineyards in the ground," comments Basson.

Conversely, he feels that an icon Chenin Blanc in the sense of a limited-production wine selling at an ultra-premium price point is premature. He admits that Kleine Zalze has undertaken a few prototype efforts in this regard but has yet to solve the conundrum of how to get both aroma and freshness as well as full flavour on a consistent basis. "There are some ambitious offerings out there but these tend to box our best Chenin as off-dry."

All is not doom and gloom, however. He pays tribute to how active the Chenin Blanc Association has been, particularly in its efforts to protect old vines, and feels that just as Beyers Truter (previously of Kanonkop and now of Beyerskloof) has been a key driver in getting the market to reconsider Pinotage, there are many ambassadors who are playing a similar role on behalf of Chenin Blanc. "We must not lose patience. I believe the point where Chenin Blanc catches on is soon."

BEST VALUE CHENIN BLANC

Kleine Zalze Cellar Selection Bush Vines 2009
Alc 14.92% RS 3.4g/l pH 3.46 TA 6.4 g/l

There was multiple success for Stellenbosch winery Kleine Zalze at the 2010 Guala Closures Chenin Blanc Challenge with the Cellar Selection Bush Vines 2009 winning the award for best value in addition to the Vineyard Selection Barrel Fermented 2008 winning for best wooded as well as for best overall.

The Cellar Selection 2009, which rated 3½ Stars and sells for R31 a bottle ex-cellar, is entirely unwooded although cellarmaster Johan Joubert relates that tasters often inadvertently discern wood treatment on account of how full bodied the wine appears. He explains that this is achieved via five months of lees contact in tank, boosting the glycerol content of the wine and adding to its mouthfeel and length.

Beyond that, Joubert says that the secret behind Cellar Door Selection is to "pick right and keep it simple". Grapes are from 25-year-old bush vines in the Helderberg area of Stellenbosch, and getting the grapes into cellar involves two pickings, the earlier to achieve aroma and freshness, the later to provide complexity of flavour (think apricot, peach, melon and pineapple) and velvety texture.

The 2009 vintage saw good winter and no summer rains, while the growing season was 1.5° C cooler than average, resulting in grapes offering the cleanest flavour and brightest acidities. Whereas previous vintages have contained a portion of juice from grapes infected with botrytis cinerea, this did not apply this time around, ensuring that the end-product has maximum drinkability.

Any further explanation as to why the Cellar Selection 2009 is so good? "Our method is simply to respect the fruit. Oh, and we don't use a drop of press juice."

BEST UNWOODED CHENIN BLANC

Simonsig 2007
Alc 13.92% RS 5.44g/l pH 3.48 TA 5.88 g/l

Though Chenin Blanc has been a feature of the Simonsig range ever since the Stellenbosch farm first made wines under its own label back in 1968, current cellarmaster Johan Malan admits that not so long ago he considered giving up on an unwooded version of the variety on the basis that it didn't make business sense to produce an entry- level wine from expensive Stellenbosch vineyards.

Instead of dispensing with Chenin altogether, however, Malan embarked on a style change during the mid-1990s. Whereas previously the wine was made in a lighter style full of forthcoming but short-lived fermentation aromas and flavours, he opted to make a fuller, richer wine that had ageing potential. "We started to pick riper and ferment dry to achieve a wine not dissimilar to a German Auslese trocken (dry late harvest). It was a turning point and the wine has done exceptionally well since then."

Just how well? The 2007 vintage was named Superquaffer of the Year in Platter's 2008, a feat repeated by the 2008 in the 2009 edition of the guide. Malan prides himself on producing a wine that over-delivers on quality relative to price and the 2007 which rated 3½ Stars in this year's Challenge is available from the farm for the budget friendly price of R32 a bottle.

Though Simonsig has 14.5ha of Chenin among its 205ha of total area under vineyard, grapes are mainly sourced from neighbouring farms in the Koelenhof vicinity. The winery typically processes some 300 tons a year, the equivalent of 50 000 cases (over and above 1 000 cases of the ultra-premium Chenin Avec Chêne) making it the farm's biggest single bottling. "I don't normally like to talk about volumes in public but the quality we achieve on such a large scale is indicative of the good grapes that we work with."