The Grapesmith new releases
By Christian Eedes, 12 June 2024
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The Grapesmith is a range from Stellenbosch cellar Simonsig that sees the winemaking team working with unusual varieties (plantings of Bourboulenc as featured in the blend called Mediterraneo amounted to just 1.08ha in the entire country at the end of 2023) and a wide variety of winemaking techniques. Tasting notes and rating for the new releases as follows:
Die Kluisenaar 2020
Price: R320
58% Marsanne, 42% Roussanne. Fermented and matured for 11 months in mix of older oak and clay amphora. Malolactic fermentation deliberately avoided. Heady aromatics of pear, peach, citrus, fennel and other herbs plus oats, earth and lanolin. The palate is medium bodied yet intensely flavoured. No shortage of freshness and chalky in texture. Alc: 13.13%.
CE’s rating: 93/100.
Mediterraneo 2020
Price: R320
44% Roussanne, 35% Marsanne, 11% Grenache Blanc, 6% Verdelho and 4% Bourboulenc. Winemaking as above. The nose shows lemon, soft citrus and pineapple to go with plenty of intriguing secondary character. The palate has dense fruit and bright acidity before a finish that is lightly grippy in texture and deeply savoury. Alc: 13.1%.
CE’s rating: 93/100.
Maritimo 2021
Price: R320
39% Mourvèdre 39%, 26% Grenache Noir, 19% Marselan and 16% Syrah. Partial whole-bunch fermentation, matured for 15 months in mainly older oak before three months in concrete egg. Red cherry, raspberry, blackberry, fynbos, earth and spice on the nose. The palate is light-bodied with perky, lemon-like acidity and fine tannins. Lots to like. Alc: 12.45%.
CE’s rating: 91/100.
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James Bosenberg | 12 June 2024
Christian, does you have to have an idea of what a cultivar should taste like/characteristics it should have, or how do you assess an obscure cultivar that is perhaps the first time you’re tasting it?
Similarly blends. I’m sure there are blends that are unique in make up. Do you assess the way they work together? Curious to understand this.
Christian Eedes | 13 June 2024
Hi James, The more preponderate the variety, the more typicity is an issue – when judging Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon, for instance, it’s impossible not to reference the best of Bordeaux, Napa and Coonawarra, if only subconsciously. The more unfamiliar the variety, the more I tend to fall back on the universals of wine assessment, such as intensity, balance, complexity and length. In a case of a blend like Mediterraneo, it’s also very much about taking a view on how pleasing the combination of constituent parts is. I would contend that wines like Sadie Palladius and Thorne & Daughters Rocking Horse are made with broadly similar agendas and are therefore useful as references.
Kwispedoor | 12 June 2024
Interestingly, Le Sueur also makes a wine called Kluisenaar.
Ashley Westaway | 12 June 2024
Try to get your hands on the new vintage Le Sueur, Kwispedoor. Winemag rated it 95 pts; in my view it’s worth at least 95 pts!
Kwispedoor | 13 June 2024
Thanks, Ashley. The 2022 Kluisenaar got 90 points in the report, and the 2023 Chenin got 95. I got my hands on the latter, and also the 2021 Kluisenaar. I haven’t tasted them yet but I’m sure they will offer great value, at the very least.