Following two very respectable ratings for two consecutive vintages of his Flag of Truce pinotage (2021 and 2022), Bruce Jack suggested (tongue-in-cheek) if the vineyard is key to a wine’s performance, the winemaker must be irrelevant. Of course it’s a false dichotomy: no driver no car, no car no driver. Both are essential in the pursuit of vinous greatness.
In an era before winemakers had the scientific knowledge/technical skills, the role of the vineyard appeared supremely important. Those who had well-sited estates generally produced consistently better wines — which is what made possible the 1855 Classification of the Wines of the Medoc, and why the rankings from more than 170 years ago are still largely applicable today. Even now, in unpersuasive displays of false modesty, winemakers talk of the wines “making themselves”.
Fine wine depends on the winemaker (driver) and the vineyard, together with an element of chance (weather conditions, for example). The “fit” between the winemaker responsible for the process and the viticulturist responsible for ensuring the best possible fruit is delivered to the winery is essential. The most successful racing drivers work closely with the mechanics who prepare the vehicle for race day.
Wine is better today because we’ve learnt a great deal about optimising fruit quality, and also because the science of oenology has improved dramatically. Growers better understand how to coax more intensity from the grapes. Winemakers have access to technology that enables them to mould wines to the aesthetic that appeals to them.
Two tastings, a day apart, highlighted the impact of these advancements. At Oak Valley in Elgin considerable work has been done in the past two decades to see which clones of chardonnay and pinot perform best on the estate. Every vintage since 2016 they make a selection of two clones of each variety and vinify them separately. The wines are bottled and aged separately so the winemaking team — and wine buyers interested enough to buy them — can track the evolution.
The wines — sold under the Oak Valley Tabula Rasa label — are not always from the same blocks every year, though the idea is that whatever goes to bottle is the best of the best. (The wines are priced accordingly, selling for about R900 per bottle).
This year’s releases are chardonnays from Clone 95 and 548 and pinots from 777 and 667. All were from high-elevation sites (over 400m). They are lowish alcohol (about 13%) and with noticeably firm acidity. For the second time in recent tastings I found I preferred clone 548 to 95. With the pinot, the 777 is the more seductive, the 667 is the more complete, and the most Burgundian.
Then it was Dirk van Zyl’s turn to impress me with the work he has been doing to manage the purity and elegance of the tannins in the wines of Glenelly. He took over the cellar in 2022 from Luke O’Cuinneagain, the man who had built the reputation of the estate, and established the aesthetic of the flagship red, the Lady May.
Van Zyl doesn’t pretend to know the vineyards better than his predecessor: with viticulturist Heinrich Louw still in situ he didn’t need to. The changes he has implemented all involve small tweaks, but cumulatively they are beginning to deliver visible differences. Harvest decisions made on how the grapes taste, rather than on their chemical analysis, may seem a Luddite-like move away from technology, but since wine is about taste, first and foremost, it’s about driving the car, not relying on auto pilot.
The second, and most striking change, relates to the frequency and duration of the pump-overs during the fermentation. This is where the mouthfeel of the wine is created. Knowing when to push, and when to ease back, is a matter of intuition. Assessing the result is a matter of taste, and it can be quantified. Once you can measure the outcome, you can reproduce and refine it. All other things being equal, the wines he makes at Glenelly will improve every year.
This article was first published in Business Day.
