Tim James: Alto rebuilds its reputation

It seemed for a while we’d lost one of the Cape’s great wine estates – well, not so much the estate as the greatness. But, still happily located on the Helderberg, Alto is firmly with us again, and its significant role in much of the 20^th century is worth recalling, especially as this year sees, in vintage terms, the centenary of its first commercial wine.

When I briefly profiled Alto some dozen years back in my book on South African wine, I remarked that I did so “for sentimental and historical reasons more than anything else, for Stellenbosch without Alto would be a lesser place”. Under the ownership of Lusan Premium Wines, the joint venture between German financier Hans Schreiber and Distell (which managed the property), ambition for top-level quality was pushed aside. Nothing changed when Distell took full ownership – even in a briefly positive period when it brought the estate into the potentially hopeful but short-lived Libertas Estates and Vineyards (which was ditched in 2020 – see Michael Fridjhon’s analysis here). Lusan properties Le Bonheur and Stellenzicht had already been sold and started their own regeneration; Neethlingshof and Uitkyk were to go in 2022.

Alto was sold in 2020 to Hans von Staff-Reitzenstein (of LVS Capital), a return to German proprietorship – but this one, unlike the last, is full of ambition. Staff-Reitzenstein had apparently long coveted Alto, to add to his already handsome chunk of prime vineyard terrain on the Helderberg, as the effective owner of Ernie Els and owner of Stellenzicht; most recently he has added the Bilton farm adjoining Alto. A great deal of capital has already been expended, and Alto itself is about to see the sort of major building improvements that have made Ernie Els reportedly a pretty spectacular property. Winemaking under Bertho van der Westhuizen has clearly been responding well to a new atmosphere starting in the latter part of the century’s second decade, and I am guessing that things will only get better. I look forward to tasting more of his recent vintages.

It says on the labels “Since 1693”, but that’s taking a chance, since Alto was only named and shaped in 1919, being the half of the original property (Groenrivier) retained by its owner, Hennie Malan, when the lower slopes were sold off. (But if we can accept the preposterousness of Tokara’s flourishing the date 1722 because that was the year of the first – shipwrecked ­– Ferreira in the Cape, well, we can certainly let Alto off lightly.) Anyway, Hennie Malan planted vineyards on the granitic soils, and built a homestead in 1919 and a cellar the following year. The aim was to make only red wines – uniquely so at that time. One of the earliest Cape shiraz vineyards was among the plantings, and the very first pinot noir (soon pulled out because its early ripening kept it from being jointly crushed with the cab, shiraz and cinsaut). Winemaker Manie Malan, the owner’s son, sent a sample of his red blend to Burgoyne’s in London. They were impressed, and the first barrels, of the 1922 vintage, went off to London in 1924, marked as “Rouge” – at a time when the only other red table wine being exported was, I believe, Zonnebloem.

Alto Rouge, then a lightish cinsaut-based wine, was first sold locally only in 1933. In the 1960s and 70s, Piet du Toit, winemaker since 1959 (and later the owner too) kept out some of the cab for a separate bottling and increased the proportion of shiraz. So it was shiraz-based for a while, but the blend has changed over the years, and the latest release 2022, marking 100 years (by one reading of the dates, anyway – it’s actually the 101^st Rouge) has shiraz as a minority component in a blend with cabs sauvignon and franc, merlot and petit verdot.

A decade back, this historic wine had firmly become, thanks to Distell, a regularly discounted brand on the lower supermarket shelves (along with the other great old name, Zonnebloem). It’s clearly not destined to attempt regaining the heights (other Alto brands have taken over that role), but there seems to be pride again in it as a big-volume wine with a Helderberg pedigree. A recent tasting at the estate of older blends showed the quality possible in 1974 (see Christian Eedes’s report), and even light-year 1987, while 1991, 1993 and 2002 clearly evidenced decline. The 2022 centenary Alto is an extremely decent wine, fruity but firmly structured and with an edge of seriousness. Not far off Kanonkop Kadette Cab in the great value stakes, I’d say.

Interestingly the Rouge label is rather grand and clearly an expensive one – somewhat anomalously so, given the wine’s R130 price tag. Like a schoolteacher wearing Dolce&Gabbana, with the latest tweak to the design certainly rather more bling than heretofore – and this shiny white-black-red-gold luxury handsomeness is even heightened for the once-off La Residence Heritage Blend 2022. In magnums from the farm at R1650, this wine recalls the older Rouges, with a good proportion of cinsaut (40%), together with 40% cab and 20% shiraz – see Christian’s report).

I suspect that this shininess might be the destiny of the other labels in the range – the current releases of some of those wines are a few years older. I sampled them recently and was pretty impressed by the contents. The Shiraz 2019 not so much: it’s always been made in a notably showy, ripe style, and I found it rather too sweet and fruity-rich for my tastes. The wines with a bordeaux-variety orientation convinced me more. They are, of course, in the established dominant tradition of Stellenbosch cab-based wines, big and powerful, with dense fruit matching  bold tannins. The Cabernet 2019 is all that, but has some lively succulence, even a little finesse. The Estate Blend  2022 (the new-style label predominantly black), with shiraz in support of the cab and cab franc, moves a little closer to finesse and elegance, beneficially losing some intensity without abandoning too much of the richly flavoured impressiveness and unfortunately gaining a little of the sweetness I found in the Shiraz; a serious wine (R450).

The other occupant of Alto’s rather crowded top table is the 2017 M.P.H.S Estate Wine – in that appallingly overweight embossed “Stellenbosch” bottle. Mostly cab, with 10% cab franc. The initials are those of the first four winemakers at Alto (Mani Malan, Piet and Hempies du Toit, Schalk van der Westhuizen; Bertho is the fifth, making up a remarkably small number). Incidentally and interestingly, although I hadn’t realised this until I asked, Alto labels have all always carried the name of the current winemaker. This occasional bottling is pretty good in the established style, if the oaky tannins don’t outlast and always outblast the fruit, but somehow rather old-fashioned in feel; and at twice the price of the 2022 Estate Blend, I think I’d go for the latter.

I tried the wines over a few days, especially paying attention to the Cab and the Estate Blend. On the third night, both wines were that bit tamed through oxidation (but the fruit surviving well), and much more approachable. I could drink this, I thought as I tried the Cab with my Italianish venison meatballs – they were pretty powerfully flavoured themselves and matched the wine admirably. Not to mention the blend. I could drink that too! I fetched some cheese, and did just that. I trust I’m not being converted to good big Stellenbosch reds….

• Tim James is one of South Africa’s leading wine commentators, contributing to various local and international wine publications. His book Wines of South Africa – Tradition and Revolution appeared in 2013.