page 1 memberservices@ Crozes-Hermitage, Les Papillons, Domaine Gilles Robin, 2011 Sleek, vibrantly fruity syrah from one of Crozes-Hermitage's top growers. Made from young vines for early drinking and quite delicious. Product Code RH31731 Dominant Grape Syrah/Shiraz Product Type Red Wine Drink Dates 2013 to 2016 Origin RHONE - Northern Rhone Alcohol Level 13.0% Style not applicable Closure type Cork, natural Vintage 2011 Price No longer for sale Producer : Domaine Gilles Robin Earl Gilles Robin, born in 1971, grew up on a domaine established by his great-grandfather in 1920 and worked closely with his father while studying winemaking before taking over in 1996. Like so many northern Rhône producers, Gilles first vocation was fruit farming and until recently Gilles owned orchards producing apricots before eventually going full time into wine production. The fruit farmer within him however remains and Gilles takes especial care over the quality of his fruit. Gilles now owns 15 hectares of vineyard, mostly in Crozes-Hermitage where his vines are close to Chapoutier s Meysonniers, and Jaboulet s Thalabert. When he took over he invested much in the vineyards while adopting a sustainable approach that respects the soil. Everything is done by hand and he employs organic fertilisers, manures and composts and ploughs between the rows. Each parcel is treated differently out of respect for its unique terroir. To ensure the high quality of his fruit he harvests by hand, selectively and parcel by parcel, before sorting again at the winery. In the winery itself only gravity is used to move grapes, must and wine and fermentations are carried out using natural rather than cultured yeasts. Each parcel is vinified separately so that the signature character of the terroir can shine. His is a much sought after estate and The Society buys just two of his wines, the Crozes-Hermitage red Papillons (unoaked and made from young vines and always fresh and juicy) and Alberic Bouvet, named after his grandfather and a blend of older vines from his best plots. This full, savoury red is aged in oak for about a year and always benefits from ageing.
page 2 memberservices@ The Society s Exhibition Victoria Shiraz, 2006 Cooler than Barossa, Victoria produces shiraz that is more structured, finer-boned and discreetly spicy with distinct traces of white pepper on the palate. Not to say that the disarming bramble and cassis charm associated with Australian shiraz is not to be found here, and the winemaking team at Mount Langi Ghiran, home of serial Wine Champion Billi Billi shiraz, excels at capturing it. This is intense and voluptuous, but elegant too, as only a Victoria shiraz can be. A splendid bottle for wild venison, hare, spiced beef and nut roasts or pilaffs, enlivened with middleeastern spices and a dash of chilli. Product Code AU14441 Dominant Grape Syrah/Shiraz Product Type Red Wine Drink Dates 2011 to 2017 Origin Victoria Alcohol Level 14.5% Style not applicable Closure type Screwcap Vintage 2006 Price No longer for sale Warwick Trilogy, Stellenbosch, 2008 The Ratcliffe family of Warwick has been one of the stars of the Cape wine scene since the 1960s and the quality has never faltered. Their beautiful estate lies on the Simonsberg mountain, about 15 minutes drive from the charming university town of Stellenbosch. This is a popular, rich and stylish blend of cabernets sauvignon and franc, and merlot, which will develop claret-like smooth, cedary and pencil-lead aromas as it matures. Now to 2017. Product Code SA7431 Dominant Grape Cabernet Sauvignon Product Type Red Wine Drink Dates 2011 to 2018 Origin South Africa Alcohol Level 14.5% Style Full-bodied Closure type Cork, natural Vintage 2008 Price No longer for sale Sequillo, 2005 (Sequillo Cellars) Made by Eben Sadie, this is a fully mature, organically produced Swartland red, where old vines and naturally low yields are a key factor in the wine's velvety texture. A syrah-dominant blend, but with 30% darker, spicier mourvèdre plus 10% grenache to add freshness. Drink over the next year. Product Code SA5711 Dominant Grape Syrah Mourvedre Product Type Red Wine Drink Dates 2008 to 2012 Origin South Africa Alcohol Level 14.5% Style Full-bodied Closure type Cork, natural Vintage 2005 Price No longer for sale
page 3 memberservices@ Beaumont Mourvèdre, Bot River 2009 From the Beaumont family's charming and historic farm in the Bot River Valley, near the coastal village of Hermanus. The grapes are hand-picked from low-yielding vineyards on clay-based slopes, aiming to create a wine that expresses elegance and complexity. 2009 is widely recognised as an excellent vintage in the Cape, across all grapes and regions, which is rare indeed. This wine is a perfect representative, with ripe healthy fruit balanced by pleasing freshness. Product Code SA8241 Dominant Grape Mourvedre Product Type Red Wine Drink Dates 2011 to 2018 Origin South Africa Alcohol Level 13.5% Style Medium-bodied Closure type Cork, diam Vintage 2009 Price No longer for sale Producer : Beaumont Wines - See next page.
page 4 memberservices@ Producer : Beaumont Wines The Beaumont family estate is steeped in a history that dates back to the 18th century, and their higgledy-piggledy cellars are the oldest in the region. The family-run farm and winery can be found in the charming Overberg village of Bot River, at the foot of the Houw Hoek Mountains in the cool Cape South Coast region. The Beaumont family are big on biodiversity. Of their 400-hectare farm, only 34 hectares are under vine; the rest is part of the Green Mountain Conservancy Area, an organisation the Beaumont family helped to found. There are charming cottages on site and regular events are held, from food festivals and open gardens weekends to grape treading at harvest time. Beaumont wines began in 1970, when Raoul and Jayne Beaumont replanted vineyards that had long since been abandoned in the ancient shale soils. The pair recognised that summer heat here is moderated by cool afternoon sea breezes, which gives ideal long ripening periods. Raoul and Jayne also transformed the winery, with its antique machinery, into a place where they could start producing handcrafted, expressive wines that reflect the terroir. Today, Jayne s son Sebastian makes the wine. The family s everyday chenin blanc is made partly from bought-in fruit from neighbouring vineyards, but all the grapes are picked early to preserve freshness and result in lower alcohol. After a cool and slow fermentation, the wine spends around six months on its lees in tanks. The estate was also the first in the Cape to bottle a varietal mourvèdre, a grape that ripens more slowly and with more balance here, thanks to the cooler temperatures. It spends 18 months in large French oak barrels to enhance its dark, spicy flavour. The family s flagship wine is the Hope Marguerite Chenin Blanc. Named after Sebastian s grandmother, it was first produced in 1997. It is made entirely from hand-picked grapes grown on the estate s oldest vineyard, planted in 1978, giving low yields of complex and elegant chenin. The wine spends 10 months on its lees, promoting a richer and fuller palate, and is aged in French oak. The wood is meticulously selected to ensure the perfect balance between fruit and oak influence. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this is regularly a five-star wine in Platter s guide to South African wines. The Beaumont family crest reads Erectus non Elatus which means proud but not arrogant and this approach carries through to everything they do.
page 5 memberservices@ Vinsobres, Côtes-du-Rhône Villages, Clos des Echalas, Domaine Jaume, 2007 50:50 mourvèdre and grenache, planted on a steep slope. A flagship wine raised in new oak barrels for 15 months. Product Code RH28051 Dominant Grape Mourvedre Product Type Red Wine Drink Dates 2011 to 2017 Origin Other Southern Rhone Wines Alcohol Level 14.0% Style not applicable Closure type Cork, natural Vintage 2007 Price No longer for sale Meerlust Rubicon 2004 The 25th anniversary release of this iconic Cape red, and winemaker Chris Williams' first vintage in charge. Majority cabernet sauvignon, with merlot and cabernet franc, to produce a classically styled Bordeaux blend. Product Code SA5401 Dominant Grape Cabernet Sauvignon Product Type Red Wine Drink Dates 2008 to 2014 Origin South Africa Alcohol Level 14.0% Style Medium-bodied Closure type Cork, natural Vintage 2004 Price No longer for sale Producer : Meerlust Estate - See next page.
page 6 memberservices@ Producer : Meerlust Estate When the Myburgh family first purchased the Meerlust Estate in 1756, they could not possibly have predicted that the family would still be making some of the country s most prestigious wine there hundreds of years on (making it by far the longest family-run wine estate in the Cape), or that later generations would transform the landscape of South African wine production altogether. In fact, their estate has also been immortalised in art, painted by one of South Africa s most renowned artists, and in 1987 was declared a national monument. It was actually a previous German owner who gave the estate its name. Meerlust means a yen for the sea, whether a vague longing from afar or a positive delight in being in, on or near it. A romantic poet might call it Sea Fever. At just 5km from False Bay, the estate s proximity to the ocean plays a huge part in its wine production: the ocean breezes and evening mists keep vineyard temperatures regulated during the hot, dry summers. Drought-resistant clay and granite soils provide further natural assistance, but during the drier spells drip-irrigation is also used, causing the vines to dig deeper into the soils and resulting in grapes with higher individual character. The brilliant vineyard location and careful management encourage the grapes to ripen slowly, giving them greater complexity. Until the 1960s, Meerlust participated in traditional South African viticulture, and therefore only grew grapes for sweet white wines. Not only did Meerlust replant their vineyards with much less common varieties like cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc and pinot noir, they also adopted the almost unheard of approach of plot-by-plot vineyard management to allow the terroir to shine through. 100% of the grapes used are hand-cultivated directly from Meerlust s estate and leased vineyards next door. Meerlust is currently headed by eighth-generation Hannes Myburgh. Hannes studied oenology in Germany and gained experience working on prestigious vineyards, including first-growth Lafite in Bordeaux a particularly helpful placement, as the terroir has similarities to that of Meerlust s in South Africa. It was this discovery by Hannes' father Nico that led to the creation of the iconic Meerlust Rubicon. When he visited Bordeaux in the seventies, he realised that while their vineyards and soils were similar, unlike Meerlust their most successful wines were blends, and he took this inspiration back to Meerlust with him. In 1980, after years of experimentation, he decided the ideal blend was 70% cabernet sauvignon, 20% merlot, 10% cabernet franc. The Rubicon is so-called because like Caesar s decision to cross the river of the same name in 49BC it marked a change in history, and this Bordeaux blend the first of its kind in South Africa was certainly a turning-point for South African winemaking. Sticklers for quality, the Meerlust team has always insisted that Rubicon is only made in the very best years, and so in less favourable vintages (of which there have only been a few) all the wine is declassified to the Meerlust Estate Red.
page 7 memberservices@ Producer : Meerlust Estate - Continued. Normally made only from younger and less well-situated vines, this is half the price of its superior sibling (making it great value for money). The winery is just as steeped in history as the rest of the estate: built in 1776, it was originally the wagon house before being used as the Meerlust cellars, and in 1974 it was refurbished with all the modern machinery needed to remain competitive as well as traditional. Today, the cellars are run by Chris Williams, who first worked for Meerlust in the early nineties and returned as cellarmaster in time for the 2004 vintage, helping them achieve awards year after year.
page 8 memberservices@ Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir, Walker Bay, 2008 The 28th vintage pinot from this flagship South African estate is fresh, slightly herbal, and right back on form. Selectively hand harvested and traditionally vinified with minimal handling. Some natural deposit may occur during cellaring, so pour carefully or decant. Product Code SA7001 Dominant Grape Pinot Noir Product Type Red Wine Drink Dates 2010 to 2018 Origin South Africa Alcohol Level 13.5% Style not applicable Closure type Cork, natural Vintage 2008 Price No longer for sale Sotanum, Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes 2004 Pierre Gaillard, Yves Cuilleron and François Villard, three leading growers in Condrieu and Côte-Rôtie, made their first wine in 1997. 100% syrah grown on schists, very dark, intense and minerally and not unlike Côte-Rôtie. Drink this year and next. Product Code RH14121 Dominant Grape Syrah/Shiraz Product Type Red Wine Drink Dates 2008 to 2014 Origin RHONE - Northern Rhone Alcohol Level 13.0% Style Medium-bodied Closure type Cork, natural Vintage 2004 Price No longer for sale d'arenberg The Ironstone Pressings, 2007, McLaren Vale A stunning blend of grenache (70%), shiraz (25%) and mourvèdre (5%) which is complex and herby with enormous blackberry-fruit flavour and length. Decant for an hour or so before serving. Product Code AU13521 Dominant Grape Grenache Syrah Mourvedre Product Type Red Wine Drink Dates 2010 to 2017 Origin South Australia Alcohol Level 15.0% Style not applicable Closure type Screwcap Vintage 2007 Price No longer for sale
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