Bouchard Finlayson Vineyards
Heaven Restaurant and Newton Johnson Vineyards winery
Bottle of Galpin Peak Pinot at Bouchard Finlayson
Bouchard Finlayson Estate
Vines at Newton Johnson
Anthony Hamilton Russell
Peter Finlayson
Pinot Paradise
Walker Bay producers capture Heaven and a bit of Earth in a bottle.
Daenna Van Mulligen testifies
If you fly, nearly halfway around the world and then head south, continuing down (and down and down some more), you will eventually run out of land at a jagged southern hook called the Cape Point of Africa. It is an evocative place, as old as time, where two Oceans — the Indian Ocean and the mighty Atlantic — collide. When you get there, you will be in Cape Town and you will be surrounded by the South African wine-producing regions known as the Western Cape.
That’s what I did. And, without doubt, upon arrival I expected to taste Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc; I assumed I would swim in Pinotage, linger over Chardonnay and relish in Chenin Blanc. But I certainly didn’t expect to be wowed by Pinot Noir.
If you drive east for 90 minutes on N2 from Cape Town, past Stellenbosch, over the Mountain Plateau wine region of Elgin and then weave back down to the coastline, you will arrive in Hermanus. Hermanus is a charming resort town built along the rocky Walker Bay coastline which draws endless visitors hoping to witness the awesome Southern Right Whales that come to play in the bay. The Southern Right Whales — similar in size to Sperm Whales — were nearly hunted to extinction, but their numbers are slowly returning, thanks to an international protection law put in place in 1935. A single, brazen whale teased tourists merely by rolling in the surf on the day I was there. But despite my fascination, I was there to learn more about a relatively unknown place called the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley of which I had only heard whispers among wine cognoscenti.
Almost otherworldly in its natural, raw beauty, the name Hemel-en-Aarde aptly translates to Heaven and Earth. This relatively small valley, which lies in the wine-producing district of Walker Bay, veers off at a north-eastern angle from Hermanus, its vineyards climbing from 100 to 300 metres above sea level. The Hemel-en-Aarde Valley is hemmed in to the south by the Klein River Mountains, to the north by the Babylonstoren Mountain Range and is divided into three wards (South Africa’s term for appellations).
The first ward, simply named Hemel-en-Aarde, starts just above Hermanus. Here, the maritime breezes arrive first, cooling the air above shale and clay soils. And this is where you will find the wineries of Whalehaven, Southern Right, Hamilton Russell, Ashbourne, Bouchard Finlayson and La Vierge. In ward two — known as Upper Hemel-en-Aarde — the valley opens up in broad strokes of vineyards planted on soils of granite and quartz. The green slopes are more obvious here and the views are magnificent. Upper Hemel-en-Aarde is home to the wineries of Sumaridge, Newton Johnson and Spookfontein. Finally, the most recently added, ward three, home to Ataraxia, Mount Babylon, Creation and Domaine des Dieux is the farthest inland, the most protected and the warmest of the Walker Bay wards.
On a warm, breezy spring day, we wove our way up R23 from Hermanus into the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, passing through ward one before arriving at our destination – Heaven. Journalists and a dozen or so winery representatives from the area gathered at this restaurant, perched high on a hillside at the Newton Johnson Vineyards winery in Upper Hemel-en-Aarde. Our goal was to taste and discuss the wines of Walker Bay. And certainly Heaven seemed an appropriate location to do so. A place where not only wonderful wine is poured and local dishes served, but one with dramatic views of vineyards, time-worn mountains and the Atlantic serving as a backdrop.
Given that Walker Bay’s winemaking history only goes back about 30 years, pioneered by Hamilton Russell Vineyards, as a group they seem to have, not only a mutual respect for each other, but a regional focus. Understanding which vines grow well in a given terroir often takes grape growers decades to fine tune — through trial and error — but this group seems to understand what succeeds in their valley.
Walker Bay is considered a cool climate district. Perhaps not cool in the same sense as Canada or Germany, but cool for South Africa. South-easterlies blow up the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley from the Atlantic allowing for long, moderate growing seasons — perfect for Pinot Noir. But Burgundian-style Pinot Noir is not the only focus in the Walker Bay district. The Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs have an old-world elegance and the Pinotages are structured and fruity. The Shirazes and Cabernets have typical cool-climate characteristics, a style which I found to be very clean and food-friendly. But of the total 314 hectares of vines, the most current numbers, plantings of Pinot Noir (73 hectares) edge out Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz and Pinotage.
There are some well-made blends coming out of Walker Bay too: Bouchard Finlayson’s Hannibal combines Sangiovese, Petite Syrah, Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo and Mourvèdre; Shiraz, Mourvèdre and Viognier are combined in the La Vierge Temptation and the Mount Babylon SMV adds Malbec and Viognier to Shiraz. But as a whole, the wines, most applauded on the world stage are the elegant Pinot Noirs.
So, intrigued by the rumours I had heard about the stylish, delightful Pinot Noirs from this area, I decided to dive in and taste them myself with Bouchard Finlayson’s Peter Finlayson.
Peter Finlayson is a giant of a man with a beard and booming South African voice (despite having a pesky cold on this day) to match his size. During our day at Newton Johnson he spoke to us about Walker Bay’s Pinot Noirs. Finlayson, an award-winning winemaker (who at one time worked for Hamilton Russell) is convinced that the cool, maritime climate of the valley is perfect for making elegant Pinot Noirs. “Pinot Noir put this region on the map,” he said. And although it’s not as cold as some Pinot-producing regions in the world he reminded us that “Antarctica is our closest land mass.”
Now in its 15th vintage, the premium Bouchard Finlayson Galpin Peak 2007 Pinot Noir exhibited loads of fresh red berries and spice with lovely mushroomy/forest floor characteristics and bright acidity. The 2001 Galpin Peak Pinot Noir, which was poured as a comparison, had quite opulent aromas – figs, prunes, cedar and spices with truffle and woodsy notes. On the palate, I found the 2001 to be lovely, showing vibrant cherry, floral and spiced dried fruit flavours - proving it’s age-worthy.
Our hosts, the Newton Johnson family, treated us to a barrel sample of 2008 Pinot Noir, the first from their Upper Hemel-en-Aarde vineyard. They consider this wine to be a great achievement through sheer attentiveness. Seven years of rigorous care went into this vineyard. First they chose vine clones suited to the shale, quartz and sandy soils then they followed up with a biological prevention management of type-3 leafroll virus. Type-3 leafroll is a virus that causes diminishing ability for photosynthesis in the vine and ultimately unpalatable green flavours in the wine. It is by no means a problem specific to South Africa or to Pinot Noir.
The Newton Johnson 2008 Pinot Noir is the impressive result of their diligence; the style is masculine, it displayed aromas of cherries, char and coffee with loads of earthy nuances. It was spicy and powerful on the palate, the youthful tannins were present but soft. The second Newton Johnson Pinot Noir we tasted (the 2000 vintage) came from younger vines in Hemel-en-Aarde ward and with a bit of age showed primary cherry and cedar box aromas. In the mouth the 2000 was sweet and fresh, the fruit bright, supported by savoury undertones of smoked meat and spice.
Across from the Newton Johnson Vineyards winery, directly in the panoramic view from Heaven is a significantly sized estate called Sumaridge. Sumaridge, like most Walker Bay producers, smartly directs its attentions on what is special about this appellation — Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Pinotage. We tasted a number of wines from Sumaridge including a very attractive Pinot Noir. The 2007 vintage featured aromas of forest berries and sweet cherry with hints of roasted coffee beans, patchouli and nutmeg. It was silky and earthy with fine tannins and a peppery finish.
One of the region’s pioneers, Hamilton Russell, claims to be the southernmost wine estate in all of Africa, and the closest to the churning sea. In 1975 Tim Hamilton Russell purchased the estate believing he had found the perfect site to grow cool-climate, noble grape varieties in South Africa. The first Pinot Noir was produced in 1981. In 1991 his son Anthony, upon returning to South Africa, joined his father and in 1994 purchased the estate. Anthony Hamilton Russell, a handsome, well-dressed man with a mischievous sense of humour took firm control, concentrating on making award-winning, appellation-driven wines. Today the Hamilton Russell focus is estate grown, low yield, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay planted solely on stony, clay-rich, shale soil. The proof is in the glass.
Meanwhile, to fulfill his unrequited love for Pinotage, Hamilton Russell started two more recognizable wineries in Walker Bay; Southern Right, specializing in Sauvignon Blanc and Pinotage and Ashbourne, dedicated to Pinotage-based blends. The Hamilton Russell 2006 Pinot Noir was classically earthy. It revealed dark cherry, coffee and some herbal, peppery and floral tones with integrated tannins. The 2001 vintage showed a bit of age, the colour less vibrant but the wine was no less elegant showing aromatics of purple flowers, mint, berry fruit and saddle leather. It was silky on the palate with fresh spice and berry flavours that lingered through to the finish.
Full disclosure, when I returned home, the one bottle I brought back with me was a bottle of Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir. Was I charmed by the wine or the man himself I’m not sure but I was certainly inspired by Walker Bay, Hermanus and the potential of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley.
So, like memories of a perfect bottle, in a beautiful setting, shared with people you like, my admiration of the Pinot Noirs of Walker Bay lingers. But the Chardonnays, the Sauvignon Blancs and Pinotages from here should not be ignored.
They are focused and stylish, without question well-made. These are wines that should be shouted about from the heavens – not whispered about among a shrewd few.
Heavenly Creatures
Newton Johnson Vineyards
The Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah-Mourvèdre
are available in the LCBO Vintages. The
Syrah-Mourvèdre is also available in SAQ stores
www.newtonjohnson.com
Hamilton Russell Vineyards
the Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir is available in the LCBO Vintages
www.hamiltonrussell.com
Bouchard Finlayson
the Galpin Peak Pinot Noir is available in LCBO Vintages as is the Sauvignon Blanc. The Galpin Peak Pinot Noir is also available in SAQ stores.
www.bouchardfinlayson.com
Sumaridge
www.sumaridge.co.za
For information on Hermanus and the Southern Right Whales visit www.hermanus.co.za.
