Keeping it Bottled Up

The Vineyard Connection team introduces us to a number of ‘personalities’ in a bottle

A word that is often thrown around in wine circles is ‘terroir’ – which is best summarised as meaning a ‘sense of place’. The idea is that wines from specific vineyards will display unique topographical characteristics… much as people from Cape Town or Johannesburg often define a particular stereotype!

But the character of a place is not just limited to its slopes, soils and climate. There are human and historical elements too that make the Winelands and its wines special  and this month we’ll consider two labels with strong ties to Stellenbosch’s yesteryear, Muratie and Teddy Hall.

With Muratie's deep roots in our history, their wines tell a love story which still captivates the imagination over 300 years later. Ansela was born in the notorious slave quarters of the Cape's Castle. She fell in love with Laurens Campher, a German soldier in the service of the Dutch East Indian Company. Laurens was granted a farm in 1685 by Cape Governor, Wilhelm Adriaan van der Stel, at the foot of the Simonsberg. The love affair between slave and landowner lasted 14 years, and Laurens would regularly undertake the three-day journey to the Cape to visit Ansela. Their dreams of being together were finally realised when Ansela was freed in 1699 and Laurens could take her and their three children to their new home at Muratie. The oak trees Ansela planted as a blessing to their marriage still stand on the property today.

1. Muratie “Ansela van de Caab” Red Blend 2009, R200
This Bordeaux blend from an excellent vintage is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with concentrated fruit and cigar box on the nose. The flavours and tannins are beautifully balanced with a lingering and elegant finish.

2. Muratie “Laurens Campher” White Blend 2011, R105
A blend of Chenin Blanc with Verdelho, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc, this wine was fermented with wild yeast and all, bar the Sauvignon Blanc, were barrel fermented. The blend was then matured in barrel for six months and the result is a wine with flavours that range from honeysuckle to pineapple. A good acidity and the off-dry finish make this wine an excellent match with spicy food.

Teddy Hall is a contemporary personality synonymous with Stellenbosch, who meticulously searches for great grapes within the Stellenbosch district from which to make his wines. His results are labelled under names of eccentric and dubious characters of Stellenbosch’s past; each with an equally compelling story.

One of his wines tells of Dr Jan Cats, who had his medical practice in the centre of Stellenbosch. The fact that the local mortuary was just across the road was cause for notoriety – especially as one of the window designs allowed casualties to be easily transferred on stretchers in the dead of night (so to speak).

Another mysterious figure of Stellenbosch is the first Dutch Reformed pastor, Hercùles van Loon. He lived in the oldest house in Stellenbosch and also had a farm in the Klapmuts vicinity (in the same ward as The Vineyard Connection today). During one of his trips between domiciles, he mysteriously met his end, reportedly by committing suicide with a pocket knife. No one has yet discovered the reason for his profound and sudden despair…

3. Teddy Hall ‘Dr Jan Cats’ Chenin Blanc Reserve 2010, R131
A benchmark for Chenin Blanc in South Africa by the Chenin King! Made with only free run juice from vineyards planted in 1986, this wine was fermented with wild yeasts and matured in oak and is rich and round with good acidity to compliment and clean the palate. It is bright gold with pineapple, orange blossoms, peach, vanilla and baked apple flavours - just what the doctor ordered!

4. Teddy Hall ‘Hercùles van Loon’ Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2008, R362
An exceptional Cabernet (with a dash of Merlot). A beautiful opaque crimson colour leads to cassis and violets on the nose, with a layered palate of blackberries, chocolate and vanilla. Aged in 100% new French oak, with a good concentration of fruit and complexity, this is one of the current highlights of The Vineyard Connection’s wine team!