Bloemendal Estate Kanonberg Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon, Durbanville 2014 is no longer available

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Bloemendal Estate Kanonberg Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon, Durbanville 2014

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Bone-dry, restrained and thought-provoking boutique Bordeaux blend (but that’s where the similarity ends!) from an inhospitable vineyard high on the Kanonberg, just a half-hour drive from Cape Town. Now fully mature, having exceeded our conservative drinking window, the 70% piquant sauvignon, tempered by 30% semillon makes a versatile partner for seared salmon or trout amandine.
is no longer available
Code: SA11331

Wine characteristics

  • White Wine
  • 1 - Bone dry
  • Sauvignon Blanc Semillon
  • 12.5% Alcohol
  • oak used but not v. noticeable
  • Cork, diam

South Africa

South Africa is undoubtedly one of the world's most dynamic wine producers. Established winemakers re-emerged onto the international scene in the early 1990s, following the demise of the apartheid era, and new wines, wineries, highly qualified winemakers, and even new regions have appeared steadily ever since. This makes South Africa more exciting than ever, but more complicated, too.

Most South African wines are varietally labelled - a key factor in any buying decision. Styles vary of course, and our notes aim to clarify this, but you will probably already know whether you like sauvignon blanc (now among the world's best), chardonnay, riesling, syrah, pinot noir, or cabernet.

South Africa's most famous grapes - white chenin blanc and red pinotage - will be less familiar unless you are already a convert. South African chenins are quite different from those in the Loire - almost always dry, but ripe and full of flavour (often with the complexity that comes from the increasingly...
South Africa is undoubtedly one of the world's most dynamic wine producers. Established winemakers re-emerged onto the international scene in the early 1990s, following the demise of the apartheid era, and new wines, wineries, highly qualified winemakers, and even new regions have appeared steadily ever since. This makes South Africa more exciting than ever, but more complicated, too.

Most South African wines are varietally labelled - a key factor in any buying decision. Styles vary of course, and our notes aim to clarify this, but you will probably already know whether you like sauvignon blanc (now among the world's best), chardonnay, riesling, syrah, pinot noir, or cabernet.

South Africa's most famous grapes - white chenin blanc and red pinotage - will be less familiar unless you are already a convert. South African chenins are quite different from those in the Loire - almost always dry, but ripe and full of flavour (often with the complexity that comes from the increasingly sought-after old-vine fruit and the use of oak). Pinotage, a South African creation, is for many a love-it-or-hate-it grape. Pinotage's 'parents' are pinot noir, which imparts its strawberry aromas and lovely texture in young wines, and more complex, farmyard characteristics in more mature examples, and cinsault, the southern French grape, which adds spice and body. It was developed in South Africa in 1926. Shiraz is now making a name for itself in South Africa with some superb examples bottled varietally and showing characteristics that often places it between the plush New World style pioneered by Australia and classic Rhône balance and elegance.

More significant in South Africa than much of the New World (notably New Zealand and Chile) are blends, which make selection more complicated, as the style of the wine is less easy to anticipate. As in Australia and California, however, many of the best wines here are blends - a sign of maturity in the industry. Bordeaux blends were favoured initially but there are increasing numbers of Rhône and southern French influenced blends, including some eclectic mixes, many of which are among South Africa’s best wines.

The Regions

The vineyards of South Africa are at a latitude of about 35o south, with hot, dry Mediterranean-type summers tempered by oceanic influences in the south, particularly the very cold Benguela Current. Much of the country is mountainous or hilly with a multitude of terroirs for winemakers to play with. Soils are ancient and complex, and many and varied from region to region, and even vineyard to vineyard. Rainfall is very varied from one area to another, largely depending which side of a mountain or range a vineyard lies on, and in some parts irrigation is essential.

South Africa’s rigorous Wine Of Origin scheme demarcates vineyard areas, including some single vineyards, and guarantees the geographical source of the wine much like the old French appellation contrôllée system recently renamed AOP, though there are no controls on yields and grape varieties as there are in France..

Bordeaux-style blends are one of the Stellenbosch region's great strengths. Wines such as Kanonkop's Paul Sauer, Meerlust's Rubicon and Warwick's Trilogy are South African icons, produced over many years, and with proven ageing capacity. The striking Simonsberg mountain names the ward (or area) most highly sought after for these reds, but Stellenbosch produces a wide range of wine styles, from excellent chenin blancs and sauvignons to robust pinotage and Cape Blends.

Paarl is its less-well-known neighbour, also warm, and best known for its robust but smooth reds. Franschhoek is understandably one of the most-visited towns in the Cape (with lots of French Huguenot history and some of the best restaurants in the region). It has a number of famous producers, most notably Boekenhoutskloof, but most do not produce exclusively from Franschhoek fruit. Cape Chamonix is an exception we rate highly, producing a wide range of wine styles from bubbly to cabernet franc led red blend Troika.

The generally warmer Swartland region has been at the forefront of the development of Rhône varietals in South Africa, led by stars such as Eben Sadie, as well as home to some of the best old chenin blanc vines. Further north, and much cooler is Citrusdal, where fresher styles are produced and chenin blanc can achieve real finesse.

The Cape peninsula, to the south of Cape Town itself, is home to Constantia, known for its cooler climate thanks to the influence of the two oceans that almost circle it. Here, sauvignon blanc and the Bordeaux grapes predominate, but there are lovely examples of aromatic varieties too, notably Klein Constantia's elegant riesling and its wonderful sweet muscat Vin de Constance, and the vibrant sauvignon blancs from Cape Point vineyards to the south. Rhône varietals are successful new additions.

Elgin, en route to Hermanus, is another very cool region, very much up-and-coming for sauvignon blanc, as is Elim, which is even further south and the source of our former Exhibition Sauvignon. Robertson is almost due north of Elim, but way inland and far hotter. A small number of family producers manage to make excellent sauvignon here, too, but it is also a good source of chardonnay, increasingly pinot noir, and elegantly styled pinotage and Rhône varietals, not forgetting the excellent fortified muskadels which are unique to the Cape.

The most important factor in deciding whether or not to buy is often the producer's name. This is easily achieved when some of the grandest 'old' names, such as Meerlust, Hamilton Russell, Kanonkop, and Klein Constantia, still rank among the country's best producers. Where it gets trickier is when the winery is new, has no track record, or the winemaker is not a household name.
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Bloemendal Estate

Set in the Durbanville Hills north-east of Cape Town, Bloemendal (pronounced Bloo-men-dahl) is a large (250ha) estate with a long history of winemaking and grape growing. It was established in 1702, with the first bottlings in 1987, and has diversified into hospitality (there is a bistro and events venue on the property), as well as providing a home and numerous spectacular trails to one of the Cape's many keen cycling clubs (Tygerberg).

Viticulturist Lombard Loubser is a keen cyclist himself and with the help of consultant Francois Haasbroek (with whom he had worked previously at influential Stellenbosch estate Waterford) he has been putting his energy into a major renewal programme in the vineyards – there are 135 hectares planted – in support of changes to cellar techniques aimed at producing a more refined and balanced style. Together they are also working to raise the profile of Brand Bloemendal, which is an old established one in the Cape but one which has lost ground in recent years with the explosion in the number of producers both in the Durbanville region and across the winelands.

The variety of soil types and aspects on the farm allows numerous grapes to be planted and a range of styles produced, all from estate-grown fruit, much of which is sold as grapes, with only around 10% currently kept for Bloemendal's own bottlings. The vineyards are dry farmed, so yields tend to be naturally low.

On a visit in 2015, which included a drive to the highest point on the farm ...
Set in the Durbanville Hills north-east of Cape Town, Bloemendal (pronounced Bloo-men-dahl) is a large (250ha) estate with a long history of winemaking and grape growing. It was established in 1702, with the first bottlings in 1987, and has diversified into hospitality (there is a bistro and events venue on the property), as well as providing a home and numerous spectacular trails to one of the Cape's many keen cycling clubs (Tygerberg).

Viticulturist Lombard Loubser is a keen cyclist himself and with the help of consultant Francois Haasbroek (with whom he had worked previously at influential Stellenbosch estate Waterford) he has been putting his energy into a major renewal programme in the vineyards – there are 135 hectares planted – in support of changes to cellar techniques aimed at producing a more refined and balanced style. Together they are also working to raise the profile of Brand Bloemendal, which is an old established one in the Cape but one which has lost ground in recent years with the explosion in the number of producers both in the Durbanville region and across the winelands.

The variety of soil types and aspects on the farm allows numerous grapes to be planted and a range of styles produced, all from estate-grown fruit, much of which is sold as grapes, with only around 10% currently kept for Bloemendal's own bottlings. The vineyards are dry farmed, so yields tend to be naturally low.

On a visit in 2015, which included a drive to the highest point on the farm – the top of the Kanonberg – with its spectacular views out over the valley and towards Cape Town, it was quickly apparent that this is a producer to watch. The then thirteen vintage partnership between Francois and Lombard is clearly a strong one: tastings in the cellar revealed some stellar syrahs, and of the wines in bottle the chardonnays, semillon and particularly the Kanonberg sauvignon blancs were impressive, the latter among the most exciting wines of that particular trip.
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South Africa Vintage 2014

All in all 2014 was a good vintage across South Africa. Paarl and Malmesbury had exceptional vintages despite higher than average yields, while Stellenbosch did well after wet weather posed some problems. Coastal areas enjoyed exceptional harvests. Quality does vary by region, and early varieties (notably sauvignon blanc) were hit by some unseasonal rain, but the lack of early heat spikes compensated.

The Cape 'enjoyed' a bumper crop, which is good news given burgeoning exports, but 2014 did present some challenges to winemakers, who struggled for cellar space towards the end of harvest! This meant some wine had to be sold off in bulk to make space, and some wine will have been bottled earlier than hoped and planned – not ideal at such a busy time in the cellar, especially after the gruelling three to four months of harvest that characterises the vintage.

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