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The Under the Influence Weekly paper focuses on its new First Growth wine deal!
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The
WEEKLY
Under the Influence is a wine community that loves great wine, and
learning more about it. Through Under the Influence you can buy
incredible wine from selected producers, meet the new First Growths,
join fun and interactive wine tastings and courses and watch our online
wine videos, the Wine Bandits! There has never been a better way to
discover and get Under the Influence of Great Wine!
Just who is Under the Influence?
Issue 1—August 2009
The First Growths Issue
For those of you who have extracted this
distinguished newspaper from your First Growths
case, you are lucky, because you have six bottles
of incredible wine about to be drunk! You can
turn straight to the articles on the different
Estates.
For the rest of you, who maybe found this in someone’s Guest loo, or had it handed to you by an eager
Under the Influence employee, have a read below!
In this challenging economic climate we realised that people need to find wines that give
maximum bang for the buck. In our travels and tastings we have found the best wines to do
this are from small Estates, containing brilliant wine makers, who struggle to get their wines
out there. After extensive searching we found six Estates and put together the following
deal:
• A case of six bottles of wine, a bottle from each of our carefully selected First Growth
Estates for only R375 excluding delivery (30% off their normal retail price).
• You will immediately get R125 onto your First Growth account to use against future
purchases
• On future purchases you receive 20% cash back, which goes straight onto your First
Growths account to spend on the First Growth wines.
Why can we offer this? The First Growth Estates make incredible wine but these guys are small, so they
need people to taste their wines, and get the word out there! To achieve this, they want to get their wines
straight into your glasses. So, you only pay for whats in the glass, and don't have to cover for shelf space,
marketing campaigns or sales staff. Have a look at the First Growth Estates overleaf.
What are the First Growths?
tel: 021 438 4391 email: [email protected] web: www.undertheinfluence.co.za
The
WEEKLY
Kevin Grant (right) is the owner and wine maker of Ataraxia, a small
Estate in the Hemel and Aarde valley near Hermanus. Kevin’s passion and
experience in the region led to many accolades under his watch at
Hamilton Russell, and now he has struck out to make his own mark on the
world of wine! His aim at Ataraxia is to let the soil and climate of his
vineyards do the talking, as they express this unique place, rather than
using overbearing wine making techniques. So, his style is dictated by his
place and one is literally taking a sip of his terroir when tasting these great
wines. The word Ataraxia means “emotional tranquility”, something that
we find in every bottle!
Ataraxia
Issue 1—August 2009
tel: 021 438 4391 email: [email protected] web: www.undertheinfluence.co.za
Ataraxia Serenity 2006 - Wine maker’s notes
The fruit used to make this wine was sourced from radical and individual
vineyards sites and is a seamless blend of classic red varietals yet the
emphasis is more on style than cultivar make-up. Cultivars are after all
merely vehicles of terroir expression and not necessarily the expression
of a wine itself. The grapes were handpicked, sorted and crushed into
open fermenters before maturing for 12 months in 40% new oak. The wine has a finely scented vibrant
nose with well-defined, lifted berry fruit and intriguing mineral notes characterise this wine. Refined,
polished tannins are wrapped in an elegant, spicy structure. Enjoy!
Belfield is a tiny 5 hectare property in Elgin
owned by Mike and Mel Kreft, who purchased it
in 2000. The farm was planted to fruit but after
extensive research and help from viticulturist
Paul Wallace, the decision was made to plant
red Bordeaux varietals. The well drained,
ironstone soils and warmer slopes, led to the
vision of creating elegant, soft, cooler climate
red wines. The tiny size of the property makes it easy to give the vines the attention they deserve. The
Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced 100% from a 1 hectare block on the farm.
Belfield
Belfield Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 - Wine maker’s notes
The nose, lingering and soft, together with the bright, fresh colour,
are the first impressions of this wine. A mouthful reveals a
smoothness which belies its tender age, together with dark black
berries, and some mint. Refreshing and a lovely long finish. Whilst
this well balanced, delicate wine can be enjoyed now, it will reveal its
full potential in 3-5 years.
Mike’s mugshot (above)
The
WEEKLY
Lammershoek reminds us of a small town, far away from anything, that
is going about its business, but doesn’t realise there is a string of gold
under the earth! For one, the farm is situated just next door to renowned
winemaker Eben Sadie, so it is a given that their Voor Perdeberg terroir is
exceptional. But, the proof is in the glass and the wines are truly superb.
We hope that the First Growths helps put this Estate on the map as the
Kretzel family have put in the hard work to get an understanding of their
soil and climate, coaxing the very best out of the vineyards. As big names
like Adi Banderhorst move into the area, the wines from the Perdeberg,
near Malmesbury, can only go from strength to strength.
Lammershoek
Issue 1—August 2009
tel: 021 438 4391 email: [email protected] web: www.undertheinfluence.co.za
Lammershoek Roulette Blanc 2007—winemaker’s notes
Blend: 62 % Chenin Blanc, 26 % Chardonnay, 12 % Viognier. The Chenin Blanc
and Chardonnay and both harvested off old dry-land bush vines, yielding that
wonderful intensity of flavour. Careful berry selection, wild yeast
fermentation, careful use of oak and blending only at the final stage lead to a
wine that is complex and intriguing. Mineral and fruity, this is the most elegant vintage of this blend to
date. It has a lovely mouth-feel, taut acidity and great length. Having spent almost a year in bottle prior
to release, the oak is well integrated and un-showy. The wine is excellent paired with spicy meals, poultry
and ripe cheese, but is best with fish and shellfish.
Bruwer Raats is a bit of a legend around these parts. His wines are
consistently recognised as some of the finest coming out of South Africa, he
works hard to raise the profile of his and South African wines in general
overseas. Most importantly he is one of the best gents to have a glass or
two of wine with! Bruwer believes in focus when it comes to wine making
and planting vineyards. None of the fruit bowl effect here, with 10 varietals
on one property. At Raats he has focused purely on Chenin Blanc and
Cabernet Franc. His Chenin Blanc comes into two versions, your Original
Chenin Blanc, designed to be un-oaked and showing pure fruit, and his
Chenin Blanc, which has had a touch of oak. His unique soils bring out the
very best in this grape.
Raats
Raats Original Chenin Blanc 2008 - Wine maker’s notes
Original Chenin is crafted without the use of any oak in order to preserve the
wine’s “original,” vibrant fresh fruit character. It’s packed with succulent
flavours of apple, pineapple, and citrus, with hints of ginger, honeysuckle, and
orange blossom and a lovely minerality. This bright, tasty offering rivals the
finest Loire Valley Chenin Blancs. We especially recommend this wine to compliment Cape Malay Curry or
similar spicy dishes and sushi with wasabi. Also a perfect partner with oysters, but why wait for food? It
can be enjoyed now or stored for 4-5 years, but why wait at all?!
The
WEEKLY
Stark-Conde is a family owned business headed up by winemaker,
marketer and insightful tasting room host, Jose Conde. He is a self taught
winemaker, converting an interest and passion of the subject into superb
wine making skills, aided by a dose of stubbornness and “can do”
attitude! The family farm, Oude Nektar, is tucked up the Jonkershoek
Valley and the vineyards are nestled on high south facing slopes, with
dramatic views down the valley to Stellenbosch and Cape Town in the
distance. Jose uses traditional hands on wine making techniques and
works very carefully in the vineyard to ensure top quality grapes and
minimum interference in the cellar. The results are very special.
Stark-Conde
Issue 1—August 2009
tel: 021 438 4391 email: [email protected] web: www.undertheinfluence.co.za
Stark-Conde Stellenbosch Syrah 2006—winemaker’s notes
This is a blend from 2 different elevation vineyards, the higher elevation
vineyard has a finely textured decomposed granite soil and tends to
produce a more elegant wine with softer tannin, while the lower
vineyard is very rocky and seems to give a denser, more tannic wine.
After 22 months barrel maturation, the wine was bottled without fining or filtration. Straight from
fermentation, I thought that 2006 was going to be a benchmark year for us for syrah. It was a vintage that
produced lushness and concentration, which I look for in syrah, but also with a degree of elegance that we
always want to express with our wines.
Tierhoek. Bring your GPS! This unique property is situated in the
Piekenierskloof, halfway between the breezy Atlantic, and the cool
Cederberg Mountains. In 2001, the property changed hands,
and the original farmhouse, as well as neglected 30yr old Chenin
Blanc vines, were restored back to working condition by Tony and
Shelley Sandell. The unique terroir is worked by the enthusiastic,
amiable and switched on winemaker, Roger Burton. He has made a selection of wines that have really
raised eyebrows amongst international wine fundis and the odd lost hiker who has stumbled on the place!
We are really excited by the “extreme terroir” that this farm displays in the wines. They are truly unique.
Tierhoek
Tierhoek Sauvignon Blanc 2008 - Wine maker’s notes
The Sauvignon Blanc 2008 comes from vines which are planted on the
cooler West facing slopes. Soils consist of weathered sandstone,
resulting in good drainage, and thereby forcing the young vines to push
their roots deeper in search of moisture thereby harnessing the
minerality that is so characteristic of Tierhoek wines. The wine also picks up flavours from the
surrounding Fynbos. Add to this the effect of a cool summer, and resulting prevalent acidity, and you
have all the conditions for wines of elegance and balance. At the cellar, a minimum-intervention approach
is maintained. The wine is kept on it's fine lees for 6 months, to add a touch of complexity, then
bottled. The wine has very good ageing capability, and is often best enjoyed when 2-3 years old.