2011 T Voetpad

The 2011 Old Vine Series ‘T Voetpad (which means footpath in Dutch) is a field blend of Semillon Blanc, Semillon Gris, Palomino, Chenin Blanc and Muscat d’Alexandrie from a 1.4-hectare plot in the Piquetberg Mountains. The vines were planted between 1900 and 1928 on their own roots, which are dry farmed thanks to an underground river. The nose has a gentle perfume of lemon thyme, dried apricot and a hint of beeswax that is delicate and precise. The palate is pure and perfectly balanced with well-judged acidity. There is a touch of spice on the entry with dried orange peel and a little rosewater towards the finish that has a slight edginess to it. This is a beautiful, thoughtful wine. You gotta love the eminence gris, the “Gandalf” of Swartland winemakers, Eben Sadie. Curiously, when I sat down with him at the Cape Show it was the first time we had met. He assured me that his samples had been safely despatched for my attention – the only problem being that he had sent them to the wrong side of the Atlantic. C’est la vie. Eben told me that he is withdrawing from his venture in Priorat so that he can focus entirely upon South Africa and that can only be a good thing for the country’s wine industry. Eben is a man full of principles and ideals that he is unafraid to see carried out in his wines, which in my opinion are aligning closer to his vision of what they should be with every vintage. Now let us move on to Eben’s Old Vine Series of wines. Let me make it clear that these very limited bottlings are as much an intellectual exercise as a sensory one. If you are seeking wines that mean something – then you should learn about them first, understand where Eben is coming from and then appreciate them for what they represent as much as how they taste. So my scores are in some ways irrelevant here. I just urge readers to understand them, try one out, make up their own mind, drop me a line and tell me what you think. And because they are so individual and I have only tasted the once or twice, I have refrained from drinking windows, but suggest that for the most part while they can be enjoyed young, they are also well worth cellaring. Importer: Broadbent Selections, San Francisco, CA; tel. (415) 931-1725 and Fields, Morris & Verdin in the UK