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South African wines that shine

By Darryl Beeson

The first European settlers arrived at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652 to set up a harbor and garden for Dutch East Indian Company whose ships passed around the Cape on the way to the Spice Colonies in the East. Retired employees of the company were issued grants of land by the governor and settled the Cape colony.

Politics, and just plain distance, have hindered the wines from South Africa from being better understood in other parts of the world. These, the following, are truly world class, and affordable!

Neil Ellis "Sincerely" Sauvignon Blanc, South Africa 2004
Price $14.99
Rating 91
Neil Ellis is a respected maker of wine. This "Sincerely" is his effort in the style of a French Loire white wine from Sancerre. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. First steely, demonstrating flinty minerals and lots of crisp acidity, followed by fruit like gooseberry and bitter lime, then herbaceous undertones and a nuance of tropical, all aspects well balanced.

Crisp, herbaceous and complex, the sip does justice to the honoree. This dry white will work with seafood and poultry. Oysters, please!

Neil Ellis Chardonnay, Stellenbosch, South Africa 2003
Price $17.99
Rating 92
"Burgundian aromas of apricot, smoke and hazelnut. Rich and densely packed, with pineapple and grapefruit flavors, along with emerging notes of lemon and lime, all nicely shaped by firm acidity," says noted reviewer Stephen Tanzer.

Light goldish green. Very youthful lime/melon aromas and some subdued oak. Pleasing ripe melon/tropical fruit flavors, restrained mineral elements with fine length and elegance.

Hamilton Russell Chardonnay, Walker Bay, South Africa 2004
Price $28.99
Rating 95
This magnificent white wine drinks like a sophisticated and lusty Meursault from France's Burgundy region. "A tight, minerally wine with classic Hamilton Russell Vineyards length and complexity," says the winery. "A stand-out core of intense grapefruit and pear aromas and flavors are brought beautifully into focus by a tight line of natural acid,that combines with dry, pebbly characters. An elegant, yet textured wine with a strong personality of both place and vintage."

Rust en Vrede "Estate Bottled" Red Stellenbosch 2001
Price $42
Rating 90

"The blend is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Shiraz and 12% Merlot," explains wine maker Louis Strydom. This red has ripe and rich aromas of black fruit, cassis and gentle mint. The sip is full of dark fruit, slight but balanced oak, integrated tannins, all within a long, complex finish.

Specializing in the production of red wine only, Rust en Vrede has garnered a reputation as one of South Africa?s premium red wine estates. Complete and complex, the wines reflect the uniqueness of the Stellenbosch terroir. Rust en Vrede has a remarkable three hundred year tradition and pursues excellence.

Goats du Roam Red, South Africa 2002
Price $10
Rating 90
This red is dark, juicy and explodes with red and leathery, dark fruit. It is a salute to the red wines from France?s Rhone Valley. Serve with wild game or even pizza. Maybe even cabrito!

The blend includes Pinotage, Shiraz, Cinsault, Grenache and Carignan. The grapes were harvested from vineyards in the Paarl, Pedeberg and Malmesbury regions, sourced from dry farmed old bush vines. These are mostly vineyards with small cropping levels resulting in wine with considerable concentration.

Porcupine Ridge Syrah, Coastal Region, South Africa 2003
Price $10.99
Rating 91
Butcher shop elements, spicy dark fruit nose, this affordable red is concentrated and appealing. Ripe, concentrated fruit then leather and, at the end, cocoa, all are found in this meaty red wine.

This is a "Cape answer to northern Rhône Syrah," says UK wine expert Jancis Robinson, "very gentle, early-maturing certainly, rich and lively, presenting a great big mouthful of fruit but without heaviness or an excess of either alcohol or tannin."  It's made by Marc Kent of Boekenhoutskloof, South Africa's leading producer of Syrah "who has real sensibility when it comes to vinifying this grape," adds Robinson.

Darryl Beeson travels the world looking for great wine values. In the past, he has been wine steward or cellar master for The Mansion on Turtle Creek, Voltaire, and The Adolphus Hotel. Not one for stuffiness or secret handshakes relative to wine, this Texan might now be described as a "ki-yi-yippee sommelier, sommelier." Beeson reports on wine, spirits, food and travel for numerous publications.

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