1997 &amp;
2009 Kanonkop Paul Sauer

BY NEAL MARTIN | SEPTEMBER 12, 2022The
secondary market for South Africa’s most desirable top cuvées continues to see
increasing numbers of collectors chasing diminishing supply. Buoyant interest in
the Cape’s blue chips is a relatively recent phenomenon that has grown organically,
pulled by demand rather than forced by supply. One coveted label is Kanonkop’s
Paul Sauer. For many years this sold for just a small premium, a bargain
compared to Bordeaux Grand Cru Classés. Now, back vintages are fiendishly
difficult to find and command high prices, not least as its ageing ability
becomes more widely appreciated.

A bit
of background would be useful. Who is Paul Sauer?<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1662990403790-kanonkop+paul+sauer+2009.jpg">Paul
Sauer had two passions: politics and wine. An alumni of Elsenburg Agricultural
College, Sauer tended the family’s Uitkyk estate from 1921. Eight years later, Sauer’s
mother decided to sell on the proviso that the lower part be excluded and
inherited by her son. For the first few years, the renamed Kanonkop farm was
planted with fruit trees. But the Second World War eviscerated overseas markets,
and so vines were cultivated in their place, and a cellar constructed in 1942
equipped with the same concrete vats used today. The entire production was sold
to the KWV co-operative and used in blends such as Lanzerac and Libertas.
Sauer’s son-in-law, Jannie Krige, persuaded him to begin bottling and selling
their own wines, contemporaneous with domaines untethering themselves from négociants
in Burgundy. Sauer’s close ties with KWV meant he only reluctantly agreed, but
together with help from winemaker Jan “Boland” Coetzee, the first estate wines
debuted with the 1973 vintage. The maiden Paul Sauer. a Cabernet
Sauvignon-based Bordeaux blend dedicated to Kanonkop’s patriarch, was
introduced in 1981 by Coetzee’s successor Beyer Truter.

When I
visited the estate in October, Jannie Krige’s son Johann opened two vintages of
the Paul Sauer. My notes as fresh springbok sizzled on the braai (barbeque). With
the notable exception of the 1994, the nineties was a rather inconsistent
period for this label. That was reinforced by the 1997 Paul Sauer. It is
still deep in colour. It does have a pleasant bouquet with blackberry,
bilberry, marmalade and light touches of liquorice, though it lacks the panache
of later vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, blackberry
and a touch of black pepper. There is decent depth and freshness on the finish
with a touch of Chinese 5-spice, but overall, it feels a little rustic, and I
would drink bottles sooner rather than later. 89/Drink 2022-2030. The 2009
Paul Sauer, which was made by current winemaker Abrie Beeslaar, comprises
68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% each of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. It is
magnificent, one of the finest vintages that I have tasted. Still deep in
colour, the bouquet bursts from the glass with copious scents of macerated
black cherries, cassis, dates and Seville oranges. The palate is precocious yet
balanced to a fault, a fine line of acidity keeping everything in check,
exuberant from beginning to end. Caressing in texture, this Paul Sauer manages
to be both hedonistic yet completely refined. It would give most
self-aggrandising clarets from the same vintage a run for their money. 95/Drink
2022-2045.© 2022, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.

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