A Splendid 2015 Vintage in South Africa—Time To Discover Swartland’s Wines

BY STEPHEN TANZER | MAY 4, 2017

South Africa’s more ambitious wines—whites as well as reds—are fresher and better than ever, and they have never offered more stunning value in export markets than they do today.

With all due respect to greater Stellenbosch, the cradle of South Africa’s viticultural tradition along with the cooler, greener Constantia region south of Cape Town, whose winemaking history also dates back to the 17th century, many of the most exciting recent developments on the Western Cape have taken place in areas that have far shorter track records for producing world-class table wines. Most of these are fringe areas that feature cooler or windier exposures, higher altitude or closer proximity to the sea, such as Elgin, Elim, Bot River and Walker Bay, on the southwestern tip of the country. At the other end of the climate spectrum is the hot, dry Swartland region north of Cape Town, where the production of outstanding table wines is a 21st-century phenomenon. It is only in the last 15 years that Swartland has come of age—and yet in my tastings this winter and early spring, Swartland’s wines were among the most exciting bottles I tried.

Focus on Swartland

In fact, I would go so far as to say that this is one of the single most fascinating categories of wine I have discovered in the past 20 years. Only in the past few years have more than a few of these wines been possible to find in export markets. I highly recommend that you seek out and try at least a few of the Swartland’s wines, whites as well as reds.

Swartland (or “black land,” named after the fynbos Renoster Bos, which takes on a dark appearance following winter rains; fynbos is the shrubland and the mostly fine-leafed shrubs that cover much of the Western Cape wine lands, somewhat analogous to, but even more diverse than, garrigue in Mediterranean France) was traditionally the Cape’s breadbasket, with wheat and other grains extensively planted. As far as wine was concerned, the Swartland was dominated by co-ops that survived by making rustic, outsized reds, off-dry whites and base wine for brandy. But that began to change at the turn of the new century when Charles Back and Eben Sadie saw the potential in this area—particularly its extensive stock of old vines—to make great wine. Many discerning and adventuresome winemakers quickly followed them here so that now there’s a critical mass of particularly talented makers (and grape farmers) in Swartland, including Adi Badenhorst, Andrea and Chris Mullineux, Marc Kent, Callie Louw, Donovan Rall and David and Nadia Sadie. Just as important, there are still old stocks of vines to be exploited and prime areas to be planted—with a range of grape varieties that extends far beyond what South Africa works with now.

Thanks to dry-farming, a sizable stock of very old low-yielding bush vines and earlier harvesting to retain aromatic freshness, growers are now able to make remarkably complex and scented wines at surprisingly moderate alcohol levels from Swartland fruit. Temperatures during the summer here average a full 5 degrees Centigrade higher than those in Paarl, for example, and yet the best wines I tasted from the Swartland stand out for their aromatic perfume, complexity, flavor definition and elegance.

Keep in mind that Swartland is the largest wine region in South Africa’s Western Cape in terms of surface area and thus it’s harder to describe with easy generalizations. The region includes cooler areas close to the coast but also three mountain ranges farther inland - Paardeberg, rich in decomposed granite over a sublayer of clay, Kasteelberg, schist mixed with clay, and Piketberg, with more limestone. In other words, it’s a heterogeneous place with great potential for further discovery and development.

Rhône and Mediterranean varieties excel in the soils and hot climate of the Swartland, along with Chenin Blanc, of course, which is the most widely planted grape in South Africa overall. Chenin has a long history in the Swartland, as do Syrah, Grenache and Cinsaut among red grapes. Among new stars here are Verdelho, an early ripener with normally high acidity that has already proved to be a very valuable blending component. Marsanne, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Clairette are also becoming increasingly important, as all of these varieties can be picked “fresh,” at moderate levels of alcohol.

Eben Sadie, a trailblazer in the region with his Columella bottling (the first vintage was 2000), makes a number of remarkably complex and scented wines, mostly from old vines and some from field blends in single sites. He considers the Swartland’s “A” list of varieties to be Chenin Blanc, Verdelho and Grenache Blanc for whites, and Syrah, Cinsaut and Mourvedre for reds. But he’s quick to offer his “B” list for the future—varieties that are already widely planted but are now being used to make more serious wines: Clairette Blanche, Colombard, Marsanne and Roussanne for whites and Grenache Noir (for texture and fruit), Carignan (for acidity) and old-vine Tinta Barocca for reds.

Incidentally, in their focus on Mediterranean and northern Rhône varieties, the Swartland Independent Producers group has virtually banished the international grapes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc from their blends.

Perfumed Wines from a Hot Place

For me, the magic of the Swartland is how this hot, dusty region can produce such fresh, scented, detailed wines with moderate alcohol levels (i.e., rarely reaching 14%). Virtually everyone dry-farms here, as water supplies are rare and pricey, and most will acidify their musts only as a last resort (acid adjustments are not allowed for members of the Swartland Independent Producers group, whose wines must be “naturally produced” and aged in no more than 25% new European oak). More commonly they simply pick early—or, increasingly, they harvest the same parcels in a series of passes, beginning with high-acid juice and ending with far riper grapes. According to Donovan Rall (owner of Rall Wines): “My experience with dry farming and making wine from our varieties here is that when you pick in stages it also helps. I pick my most important old-vine Chenin vineyard in three stages, beginning at almost base-wine freshness for the first pick. This just gives me some freedom to push another pick further if I need or want to.” He went on: “This year I took a chance with picking some old-vine Cinsaut at 10% potential alcohol and doing a carbonic, fast, high-temperature, whole-bunch fermentation. To me this produces the aromatically perfumed wines you are describing. I mainly use components like this for blending to lower the alcohol and pH and it works really well.” And of course, winemakers in the Swartland are also willing to block the malolactic fermentation from occurring in specific white wine lots that are acid-deficient.

The Swartland region benefits from the largest day-night temperature differential in the Cape Region, which is especially helpful for minimizing the stress of hot days and preserving acidity and aromatic elements in the grapes. Sadie notes that the region features huge vintage variation, but says that the differences are more likely due to limited rainfall than to heat. “Irrigation is the flatliner, and it’s often overlooked,” he told me. “A cool climate with irrigation may be more consistent than dryland farming in an extreme climate with no irrigation.” He summarized: “The biggest two factors here are a bit of rain in late December or early January, which happens occasionally and generally produces wines with better acidity, and heat waves in February. If the heat waves come late, then the whites get picked before them, and the heat has more effect on the red grapes, but if there’s an early heat wave then the whites are usually more affected than the reds. But generally, the years with later heat waves are better.”

According to Andrea Mullineux, who makes a growing collection of stunning reds and whites under the Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines label, “vintage variation in Swartland is important but it’s not always as evident here as it is in cooler regions.” She explained: “We always achieve ripeness; sometimes it is more even than others. Our variation is evident in the tannic structure of the wines - 2009, 2012, 2016 and 2017 being more tannic years, in a Swartland way, and 2011, 2013 and 2014 with a finer structure. Because of how dry it is here, dilution from rain is not a frequent problem, although we do have years that are more concentrated than others. Two thousand thirteen was a so-called lighter vintage, and 2016 had tiny berries and was naturally much more concentrated.”

The trend in the Swartland has been toward earlier picking in general, which Eben Sadie describes as a cultural change. Growers and producers here have realized that late picking is not the future for this region so they are now harvesting at potential alcohol levels 1 or 1.5 degrees lower than a decade ago. They’re also doing a better job of planting each variety in the right soils and microclimates: for example, the naturally higher-sugar Viognier is being planted in cooler sites. With water always at a premium, grape-growers are doing a better job keeping their canopies and foliage in balance with the potential of their soil and paying their suppliers more in order to keep crop levels—and vine stress—lower and preserve acidity levels in the grapes.

In general, 2014 was a wetter year in the Swartland, with larger grapes. The wines tend to be fresh, bright and a bit lean, sometimes austere but just as frequently fruit-forward. Meanwhile, 2015 was, like virtually everywhere else on the Cape, nearly perfect, as the fruit was ripe but not overripe, with excellent acidity and concentration. The region benefitted significantly from unusually cool temperatures in February, which helped to ameliorate the dry conditions and draw out the ripening process. The drought year of 2016 was challenging for dry-farmed vineyards but the grapes were small and concentrated and many producers picked early and fresh. Some growers intentionally cut back on yields in order to help the vines deal with hydric stress under extreme conditions. They tended to pick very early to retain freshness but acidity levels are nonetheless distinctly lower than those of the previous year. In addition, those who make blends, either from different sites, different picking dates or different varieties, had more tools at their disposal to make better-balanced wines. As a rule, white varieties may have been favored, since they achieved phenolic ripeness earlier, before acidity levels plunged.

Morning at Boekenhoutskloof in Franschhoek

Recent Vintages in the Western Cape

The best news is that the “Goldilocks” vintage of 2015 was consistently splendid for the Cape. If it didn’t provide the most perfect conditions of any growing season in recent decades (and some growers said it did), it certainly yielded a greater number of outstanding wines than ever before. (Unfortunately, because the last time I tasted South African wines in depth was on my last visit there barely a month or two after the harvest of ’15, a sizable percentage of the white wines I tasted in New York this year was from the much more challenging 2016 vintage—a very hot, dry growing season, actually the second year of drought—in which vine stress was a serious issue and white wines frequently show the effect of heat.)

Two thousand fifteen was one of the driest and earliest vintages in many years, and water management was critical. The previous winter featured enough rainfall to provide good water reserves in the soil, as well as sufficiently cold temperatures in July to send the vines into full dormancy. When August turned warmer than usual, bud break was early, even and explosive. From September on, the weather was consistently warm, dry and windy, but calmer than normal during the flowering. There were no serious heat spikes, conditions were rarely extreme, and nighttime temperatures were delightfully cool (many winemakers attribute the deep colors of their red wines to this strong diurnal variation). Following a very warm January, February was mostly cooler than usual (some regions reported rainfall early in February), which was ideal both for harvesting and for continued ripening of the later varieties and microclimates. Then a warm March provided excellent conditions for the latest harvesters.

The vineyards remained healthy and ripening was even, even if there was higher demand for water in the driest spots owing to stress. Bunches were usually lighter than average and berry size was small and skins thick, promising intense wines—and more phenolic material in the whites in particular. Potential alcohol levels were generally average and pHs and acidity levels sound. The harvest began two to three weeks earlier than normal. Sauvignon Blancs are often particularly good even if some of them are a bit more tropical than usual; Chardonnays are intense at moderate alcohol levels; Chenin Blancs can be wonderfully fruity and pure. And the white blends I’ve tasted from Swartland are often stunning.

The harvest period was also compact for those who picked during the end of January and early February (but generally more relaxed for later harvesters), with the result that the end of the harvest was a good three weeks earlier than the norm for most estates. This turned out to be a lucky break because the region suffered from widespread brush fires beginning in late February. The fires were particularly severe in Constantia on the Southern Peninsula, which is typically a cooler, more ocean-influenced and distinctly greener area known best for its brisk white wines. As there had been no serious fires here since 2000, the fynbos, which periodically burns and regenerates, was unusually dense. By then, most of the white grapes and a good portion of the reds were safely in the wineries. But some production was lost, and some vines were scorched. In hotter regions that generally harvest earlier, a higher percentage of the red grapes had been picked.

Two thousand sixteen, from which I’ve tasted many white wines but only a few important reds, was an extremely hot, dry, early year—the second consecutive year of drought. Widespread vine stress (especially where irrigation water was not available) sharply reduced yields, and the heat was particularly challenging for making fresh white wines. Warmer nights during the weeks leading up to the harvest often compromised acidity levels in the grapes and required estates to harvest in a compressed time frame. By most reports, later-picked red grapes benefited from slightly cooler conditions during the harvest. Areas that typically benefit from the moderating influence of the Atlantic often produced small, concentrated grapes with better natural acidity. But wildfires just before the harvest made picking a challenge for some growers in Elgin and Simonsberg-Stellenbosch.

Please refer to my previous in-depth report on South Africa (in June of 2015) for intelligence on the 2014 and 2013 vintages in the Western Cape. As a general rule, 2014 and 2013 were both cooler than 2012 (and 2015). Two thousand fourteen brought moderate crop levels and produced some very elegant wines, while the larger crop of 2013 yielded wines with reasonable octane levels. Both vintages are very good and both produced many excellent wines, but 2015 is at least a cut above.

A Rich Source for High-Quality White Wines

Every time I taste new releases from South Africa in depth, I am surprised to find such a significant percentage of white wines—and so many good ones. At this point, I’m not sure why I’m startled. About half of South African wine production is white wines; most of these bottles are very reasonably priced for their quality and many are outstanding. There are lots of reasons for the high quality of white wines from South Africa. For starters, a considerably higher percentage of white than red grape vineyards is more than 20 years old. Then too, most white varieties provide the advantage of early ripening, so they can often be picked before late-summer heat arrives, and thus they have a good balance of sugar and phenolic ripeness. Rarely do they need to be significantly acidified, and of course in many wines the malolactic fermentations are blocked in order to preserve vibrancy. Red grapes, on the other hand, often must be left to hang to achieve decent phenolic ripeness, and grape sugars can run away while acidity levels plunge. Also, leaf roll virus, which still affects many vineyards in South Africa, especially in Stellenbosch, is largely responsible for the need to replant affected vineyards after no more than 20 to 25 years, has more of a deleterious impact on the ripening curve of red grapes than white.

In terms of Sauvignon Blanc, South Africa cannot compete with New Zealand’s Marlborough region in sheer volume or strength of brand image, but South Africa’s versions run at least as wide a gamut of styles, including some rather wild wines made via natural fermentation, clever use of oak and lees, and the addition of some Sémillon. Chardonnay in the Cape area has continued to improve as talented winemakers exploit cooler sites: I tasted more outstanding, vibrant examples this year than ever before, many of them from the outstanding 2015 vintage. Some of these wines display the kind of minerality and tension and sophisticated use of lees that remind me of Burgundy.

Of course, Chenin Blanc remains South Africa’s most important grape variety in terms of acreage under vine, and is far and away its most important standout white wine. These wines range remarkably widely in quality and style: from light, crisp, very dry aperitif-style drinks with little weight to rich, pure, fruit-driven examples with body, concentration and tactile appeal, some of them with residual sugar but most of them possessing firm balancing acidity. There are some rather expensive white wines made from low yields in Swartland, mostly Chenin Blanc but some local blends too, but as a rule these white wines are priced very gently in export markets. Many are outright steals.

Old bush vines in Swartland

Great Values To Be Found

The weak South African rand has punished producers, as all imported wine-related equipment has become significantly more expensive for them in recent years. Labor costs have also risen rapidly. Following the generous vine yields in 2012, 2013 and 2014, the drought years of 2015 and especially 2016 produced less wine. Grape prices have not kept up with inflation, as South Africa’s rand weakened considerably from mid-2014 into early 2016 (it’s still feeble by historical standards) and most wine producers have been squeezed, as they can’t raise wine prices without losing their competitiveness in the local market. The generally low crop levels in 2016 represented a further setback for estates that have had a hard time earning any profits in a tough environment for the country’s wines.

But the weak rand has been a boon for wine drinkers outside South Africa, and especially for Americans purchasing wine with a strong dollar. There are many, many stunning values from South Africa, and very few exorbitantly priced bottles. Time and again I sampled superb wines, whites as well as reds, only to discover that they retail in the U.S. market for $20 or less. These are not simple, topheavy country wines from hot climes: they stand out for their aromatic interest, balance and easy drinkability. They have real personality and flavor intensity, as well as the ability to gain in texture and nuance with some bottle aging.

The wines in this article were all tasted in New York in late winter and early spring. Please note that for this reason I was mostly limited to bottlings and vintages that are currently in the U.S. market. It is always possible that the most recently released vintage in South Africa has not yet reached the U.S; in some instances this is because the U.S. importer is still working through earlier stock. But I also was able to taste quite a few up-to-the-minute releases sent to me directly from South Africa. It should be noted that many South African producers do not ship their most expensive ranges or their top limited-production items to the U.S. or other export markets, as these wines often enjoy strong demand locally and can also be harder to sell far from South Africa.

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