Wednesday Wines – Episode 237 – Krone, Reyneke & Swartberg Wingerde
Meeting up with South African wine royalty Rudiger Gretschel, Reyneke & Krone cellarmaster, owner/winemaker of Swartberg Winberg, and Reyneke winemaker Barbara Melck is always a massive pleasure. I tasted a full line-up of delicious wines, and here is a collection of my absolute favourites. Thanks to Val Lewis at New Generation Wines (www.newgenwines.com) for arranging this sensational tasting, and it was jolly nice to do it in the beautiful surroundings of Bedales in Borough Market, London SE1.
Krone, Tulbagh
2022 Krone, Borealis Cuvée Brut (£15.00, reduced to £11.00 in a Mix Six, www.majestic.co.uk).
Wow, here is one enormous statement – The Rands family purchased the Krone farm in 2012, and to concentrate on elite quality, they dug up 174ha of vineyards, keeping just 20ha. And what a marvellous decision this has turned out to be because this Borealis cuvée is sublime. The blend is 79% Chardonnay and 21% Pinot Noir, and it genuinely has a ‘vintage feel’ about the nose, palate and finish. This is not just a tasty wine for the money, but a fantastic, silky, layered wine. I understand that the actual RRP is £18. Still, Majestic always gets excited about sparkling wines, and their Mix Six initiative means the price plummets like a rock down to a frankly unbelievable £11.00. This is a stark, raving, bonkers price for an elite, traditional method, extremely carefully made wine, and if you ever need a spectacular sparkling wine for a large gathering, look no further. Usually, Jansz Tasmania inhabits the ‘epic sparkling wine bargain’ spot in my brain, but it is around £7 more expensive, so Krone Borealis wears the crown!
2022 Krone, Rosé Cuvée Brut (£18.75, www.shekletonwines.co.uk).
This time, the Krone magic takes the form of a fragrant rosé, and it works perfectly. Made from 63% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay and 2% Pinot Blanc, this is a ripe, smooth, juicy style that won’t win prizes from drama and poise but definitely ticks the wild strawberry and indulgence boxes, with its buoyant, pristine Pinot-driven fruit flavours. Again, the price is spectacular.
2021 Krone, Kaaimansgat Site Specific Blanc de Blancs (approx. £37.00, stockists tbc).
This 100% Chardonnay comes from a higher altitude spot made famous for being the fruit source for a still Chardy from Bouchard Finlayson, which I used to buy many moons ago! This suave sparkler is malo-inhibited and stunningly dramatic. A grown-up wine with a severe edge and a ravishingly dry finish, if this were wearing a Champagne tag, it would undoubtedly cost twice the price. As it is, ‘Crocodile’s Lair’ Fizz is one of the most Zen-calm, elegant, arresting sparklers on the market. I hope it finds some fabulous homes in the UK soon!
Swartberg Wingerde, Piekenierskloof
2022 Swartberg Wingerde, Miracle Bush White (approx. £30.00, a pre-release sample, stockists tbc).
This is a wistful blend of Grenache Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Palomino, and the fruit is simply jaw-dropping. Almond, white peach and delicate florals, beneath an impossibly silky veneer, conspire to enchant the senses, and the astounding pumice-stone-like minerality adds a whipcrack of freshness to proceedings that makes one’s hairs stand on end. Stunning.
2023 Swartberg Wingerde, Holism Garnacha (approx. £27.00, a pre-release sample, stockists tbc).
Made from vines planted in 1966 and 2010, this thrilling Grenache tastes like the perfect fusion between respectfully ancient and blindingly modern. Pale, shimmering and vital, sour cherry and raw rhubarb stalk bitterness underpin every sip, making this a vinous interpretation of a negroni, with its heroic finish and impeccable cleansing abilities.
2021 Swartberg Wingerde, Miracle Bush Red (approx. £38.00, a pre-release sample, stockists tbc).
This time, Syrah, Grenache and Pinotage join forces to create a wild, swarming wine with a vortex of berries and spices shot through with arresting volcanic minerality. The pin-sharp, bloody, iron-soaked Syrah leads the way with unwavering confidence, making this a spectacular wine with an identity all its own.
2021 Swartberg Wingerde, Sangiro Pinotage (£33.00 in bond per bottle, www.laywheeler.com; £53.99, www.harrogatefinewinecompany.com).
Talking of identity, is there a more individual or fascinating Pinotage in the world? Seemingly made from a blend of Amarena cherries, glisteningly fresh beetroot, cola, rooibos and pomegranates, this is a product of outstanding fruit from a farm in the middle of nowhere that Rudi now owns. That is why it tastes the way it does: it is a singular expression of site, soil, variety and the Beethoven of the Cape wine world, in as much harmony as discordance, and I love it.
Reyneke, Stellenbosch
2023 Reyneke, Biodynamic Sauvignon Blanc, Stellenbosch, South Africa (£19.99, www.lokiwine.co.uk; £22.00, www.ocado.com).
This is a contemplative Sauvignon, with none of the hectic fruit usually found in this capricious variety. Here, pure, silky, mild-mannered elderflower and citrus blossom notes bring grace, texture and freshness without any sense of tropical alarm. Much of the action is at the back end, where the fruit billows and meanders, making this an initially shy wine that grows in confidence and wonder as the flavours seep into your senses. It’s a beautiful wine and wicked value, too.
2021 Reyneke, Reserve White, Stellenbosch, South Africa (£31.99, www.houseoftownend.com; £32.50, www.hedonism.co.uk; £120.00 In Bond per 6 bottles, www.laywheeler.com).
I am certain that the four Reyneke wines in this article are the finest made by Johan Reyneke, cellarmaster Rudiger Gretschel and winemaker Barbara Melck to date. Reserve White is a super-elite Sauvignon Blanc with more elemental power and thrilling restraint than an ocean of inferior wines from this ubiquitous grape. It is granted a gentle caress of oak from 10 months on its lees in 300L French hogsheads, and I cannot remember a Sauvignon as moving or as rewarding since 2017 Barre à Mine Michel Redde appeared in my MoneyWeek column back in 2019 and Reyneke’s wine is £20 cheaper! If you adore cosmic, dry white wines, you must find this wine – I awarded it a very rare 19.5/20 score.
2020 Reyneke, Reserve Red, Stellenbosch, South Africa (£180.00 In Bond per 6 bottleswww.laywheeler.com; £47.00, www.92ormore.com)
Reserve Red is a staggeringly refreshing and complex Syrah, with a core of immovable granite wrapped in impossibly beautiful red and black florals and ravishingly tender plum and cherry notes. This stunning wine presses as many flavour buttons as it does emotional ones, and it can sit next to any Syrah on earth on your dining room table and look it right in the eyes.
2019 Reyneke, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Stellenbosch, South Africa (£56.00, www.thewinesociety.com).
2019 Reserve Cab reminds me of none other than the stellar 2013 vintage of the very same wine, to which I awarded a perfect 20/20! Even though this magnificent wine is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, I wrote down the immortal initials VCC in my scribbles. As you will know, Vieux Château Certan is a legendary Pomerol, made predominantly from Merlot, and yet the heavenly texture and scintillating perfume found here are every bit as resonant. What a sensational quartet and the value afforded here is altogether shocking!