Under the Influence is proud to unveil another sip and learn experience.

So, if you don’t already have a glass of wine in hand please proceed to

open one, a Cabernet Sauvignon from the selection if you will, because

we are investigating the grape on this course and in particular Cabernet

Sauvignon. The king of the red grapes, which is a standalone great or a

leader amongst blends.

We hope you enjoy our Cabernet Sauvignon selection and its blending

partners with this ensemble.

YOUR WINES

Wine

Best

drinking

Appear-

ance [3]

Nose

[7]

Palate

[10]

Total

[20]

Cederberg Cabernet

Sauvignon

Now to

2012

Paul Cluver Elgin Blend Now to

2012

Belfield Cabernet

Sauvignon

Now to

2012

Oak Valley Chardonnay Now to

2011

Steenberg Sauvignon

Blanc

Now

Rustenberg Brampton

Viognier

Now

A reminder on how to rate your own wine:

• The best wines are those that you enjoy most.

• Appearance: Only rate less than three if there are any obvious flaws.

• Nose: Start at 3.5 and work your way up for positive characteristics and

down for negative.

• Palate: Start at 5 and head up for the good and down for the bad.

• Record your results and it is incredible how much you learn by going

through this process. Practice makes perfect!

Producer: The Nieuwoudt family has been handcrafting wines at

Cederberg for 5 generations. With David Nieuwoudt now at the helm of

operations, an element of character and appeal is consistently enjoyed

throughout the Cederberg range. A keen rock climber, David is not afraid

to go in new directions, experimenting with new techniques and not

merely resting on his own or his family’s success. His training at

Elsenburg Wine Academy and passionate love of wine has resulted in a

wide repertoire of wines, each with special character and appeal.

Cultivar Characteristics: Cabernet Sauvignon is the focus topic of the

course this month, found at the end of the booklet. The Cederberg

Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic expression of what the variety has to

offer.

Wine Characteristics: This is an elegant, juicy and lively wine. It has

intense dark mulberry, tobacco and cassis with a full and rich palate

holding firm tannin structure. There is also some spice complexity to the

wine..

Cellaring: Quite a young and relatively aggressive Cabernet Sauvignon

so worth aging for four to six years. For the impatient see below.

Complimentary foods: The tannin structure of this wine would be

softened by a good cut of sirloin, simply seared on the braai or pan.

Ordering: R510 per case of six.

YOUR RED WINES

Cederberg Cabernet

Sauvignon

Rate your wine

Appearance (3): [ ]

Nose (7): [ ]

Palate (10): [ ]

Total (20): [ ]

Notes

Producer: As any good blend requires a good interaction between the

comprising varietals, Paul Cluver Wines relies heavily on the close knit

nature of the family on which this operation was founded. This family

extends, not only to the Cluvers, but to all of those who call the farm

home. Based in the cool climate Elgin Valley as part of the Kogelberg

Biosphere, Paul Cluver Wines is one of the leading producers of fine

wines in this region. Other well respected producers in the region include

Iona, Ross Gower Wines and the relatively new Belfield Estate.

Cultivar Characteristics: The intrigue and complexity of blended wines

provides the winemaker with a stage to showcase his true talents. The

art of creating the perfect blend is achieved by very few but sought by so

many. While a winemaker only has so much control over a single varietal

wine, the flavour and structure of a blend is left almost entirely in the

hands of he who decides on the nature of the blend. This particular blend

is comprised of Cabernet Sauvignon, providing much needed structure;

Shiraz, providing further structure and spiciness and finally Merlot, which

brings all three varietals together and adds significant fruit to the final

product.

Wine Characteristics: On the nose one is treated to plum and dark

berry flavours with hints of mocha and chocolate flavours. The palate is

inundated with fruit and shows great texture combined with densely

structured tannins.

Complimentary foods: This wine would be a superb partner with lamb.

Cellaring: Can drink now or for next 5 years.

Ordering: R330 per case of 6

Paul Cluver

Elgin Blend

Rate your wine

Appearance (3): [ ]

Nose (7): [ ]

Palate (10): [ ]

Total (20): [ ]

Notes

Producer: Belfield is a boutique producer, with a mere 3 hectares under

vine. The property lies on a warmer north facing slope with gravely,

ironstone soils, ideal for the four red varietals of Cabernet Sauvignon,

Merlot, Shiraz and Cabernet Franc that are planted. The small volumes

make for incredibly high attention to detail and owner Mike Kreft believes

strongly that a wine’s quality is decided in the vineyard. Meticulous

canopy management, to ensure enough sunlight on the grapes, and

careful grape selection are two focuses to ensure optimum ripeness and

quality.

Cultivar Characteristics: Cabernet Sauvignon, king of the red grapes,

has the composition to produce huge wines due to its high tannin

structure and intense flavours. Cooler climate Cabernet Sauvignons are

more subtle, however, as they are often softer and less robust wines.

Wine Characteristics: This wine is a signature cooler climate Cabernet

Sauvignon with soft tannins and blackberry and plum flavours. Matured

in 100% French Oak the wine also has smoky and cassis elements to it.

Beautifully balanced, with a crisp finish this wine will present Cabernet

Sauvignon in a guise not normally found in South Africa.

Complimentary foods: In the recent Wine Magazine this wine was

paired with a springbok casserole. Who are we to argue with that?

Cellaring: This wine has integrated beautifully and will age well over the

next five years.

Ordering: R480 per case of six.

Belfield Magnifica

Cabernet Sauvignon

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Appearance (3): [ ]

Nose (7): [ ]

Palate (10): [ ]

Total (20): [ ]

Notes

Producer: Oak Valley spans a massive 1786 hectares, boasting a

portfolio of fruit, cut flowers, beef cattle and increasingly, high quality

cool climate wines. A wide diversity of slopes is available for vineyard

establishment; the highest vineyard is situated at 600 metres above sea

level on a south facing slope at the toe of the Groenberg mountains.

Cultivar Characteristics: Sauvignon Blanc’s homeland is in the Loire

appellations of France but it is grown in regions around the world. A

Sauvignon Blanc with tropical fruit and gooseberry tones is very often

from a warmer climate, whereas the grassy, greenpepper and more

flinty Sauvignons often hail from cooler climates. Also, the cooler the

climate, the more racy the acidity of the wine.

Wine Characteristics: This is a beautifully balanced wine with tropical

notes of litchi and passion fruit with some hints of greenpepper. The

wine has a crisp acidity and comes alive on the palate. It is well rounded

and benefits from a long aftertaste. A beautiful example of a Sauvignon

Blanc.

Complimentary foods: This wine will pair beautifully with a carbonara

style pasta.

Cellaring: Worth a dabble now but you can cellar this wine for at least

three years.

Ordering: R540 per case of six.

YOUR WHITE WINES

Oak Valley

Chardonnay

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Appearance (3): [ ]

Nose (7): [ ]

Palate (10): [ ]

Total (20): [ ]

Notes

Producer: Steenberg is actually the oldest farm in the Constantia valley

and has all of the superb terroir that the region is known for. With cool,

east facing slopes in close proximity to the ocean and granite based soils

the wines from the Estate have won acclaim from around the world.

Since 1990 some 68Ha of vineyard have been planted including

Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon,

Cabernet Franc, Shiraz and Nebbiolo.

Cultivar characteristics: Sauvignon Blanc, the white savage! This

varietal originates in the Loire valley of France and has a reputation for

steely acidity and intense flinty, grassy and fruit flavours. It definitely

has a penchant for cooler climates where its racy characters come to the

fore. In warm climates it can be a bit flabby and low in acidity, with dull

flavours.

Wine characteristics: This Sauvignon bridges the Old World and New

World beautifully in terms of style. Old World wines are grassy, with

mineral and gooseberry characters while new world Sauvignons tend to

have more tropical fruit. This Sauvignon has the best of both with the

flinty and full bodied characteristics of grass, peppers and fruit.

Complimentary foods: Here is a challenge for you… prepare a mussel

dish with a slightly spicy sauce and pair it with this wine. Glorious!

Cellaring: Worth drinking this year.

Ordering: R450 per case of 6

Steenberg

Sauvignon Blanc

Rate your wine

Appearance (3): [ ]

Nose (7): [ ]

Palate (10): [ ]

Total (20): [ ]

Notes

Producer: Brampton Wines fall under the Rustenburg estate, which can

be found in the Southern Simonsburg amphitheatre. Surrounded by bold

mountain peaks, the high elevation of this region allows it to benefit

from the cooling sea breezes – despite being 30km from the ocean. Soils

are typically granite-rich, high-yielding varieties, with good water and

nutrient retention properties.

Cultivar Characteristics: Viognier is characterised by floral flavours

and aromas due to a specific flavour compound found in the grapes

known as terpenes. This makes it one of the more gloriously perfumed

grapes in the white wine bracket. It is usually used in blends, with both

red and white wines, and single cultivar releases, like this one, are rare.

The cultivar generally prefers a warmer climate, and is generally made to

be consumed relatively young, as extensive ageing often leads to a re-

duction in the wine’s floral aromas.

Wine Characteristics: This is a fine example of a single-variety

Viognier. Not overly brash in its aroma or mouth-feel, the palate offers a

hint of sweetness and an intricate structure. Bursts of honey and apricot

indicate the varietal’s signature characteristics, and the four months in

French and American oak have given the wine a rich, full-bodied charac-

ter.

Cellaring - Delicious now, so this is a good one for those with little

patience!

Complimentary foods: A sweet and sour chicken dish would be a good

bet.

Ordering: R290 per case of six.

Brampton

Viognier

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Appearance (3): [ ]

Nose (7): [ ]

Palate (10): [ ]

Total (20): [ ]

Notes

Welcome dear Under the Influence member to our next focus point; that

of the grape. In particular we are looking at Cabernet Sauvignon and

without a doubt sampling it too!

Cabernet Sauvignon is a grape and wine is made from grapes and only

grapes. Now that we have got that out the way, let’s first briefly

understand what does a grape consist of and how does it influence the

end product in the glass.

We know that a grape or bunch of grapes consists of the following:

• Skin

• Pulp (the juice)

• Pips

• Stalks

The question we need to ask is simply, “but what do they do for

flavour?” Let’s have a quick look.

FOCUS ON THE GRAPE

Stalk

Take a stalk and chew it if you dare! It is mostly

astringent tannin. Too much stalk contact will give

lots of green tannin flavours. Some stalk contact is

seen as positive, only for wines that need bulking up

of tannin structure like certain Pinot Noirs.

Pulp (the juice)

They juice holds key ingredients. The juice is sweet

and the sugar within it is converted to alcohol. So

the more sugar, the more alcohol. The juice has a

certain degree of acidity. So, if a grape is under ripe

the acids will be too high, if over ripe the grapes

won’t have enough acidity. Finally, grape juice holds

different flavours. Through evolution grapes held

fruit and floral flavours and aromas to attract birds

and insects to pollinate them. These are unlocked

during fermentation.

Skin

The skin is another really important part of the

grape. Skin gives a wine flavour, colour and tannin.

So, it stands to reason that a red grape that has a

thicker skin will have more flavour, more colour and

more tannin. The skin also holds a very important

ingredient, especially for traditional wine makers.

Grapes skins can have wild yeast on them which

trigger fermentation naturally.

Pips

There are two types of people, those that eat pips in

grapes and those that spit them out. A third kind,

which is on the increase buys only seedless grapes!

The reason we spit them out is that they are bitter.

They will give a wine a similar bitterness if the

grapes, skins and pips are pressed to hard. This can

actually crack the pips.

With an understanding of the grape we can now have a look at the

majestic Cabernet Sauvignon. Similar to when you meet someone new it

is customary to ask “where are you from?”. Let’s take a similar approach

with Cabernet Sauvignon!

Cabernet Sauvignon is a product of a chance crossing between Cabernet

Franc and Sauvignon Blanc that probably occurred during the 17th

century in France. Cabernet Sauvignon shares similar aromas with both

grapes – the blackcurrant and pencil box aromas of Cabernet Franc and

the grassiness of Sauvignon Blanc. Its first recorded plantings were in

the Pauillac on Château Mouton and Château d'Armailhac , and these

were probably the source of many grapes for the rest of Bordeaux and

the world.

CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Characteristics of Cabernet Sauvignon

Since we have moved on from the origins of the grape we can start to

analyse its character.

The grapes have thick skins and the vines are hardy and resistant to rot

and frost. This has led to it being widely planted around the world.

The grape itself is very small, so it has a small proportion of pulp, or

juice, to the skin. This gives Cabernet Sauvignon intense flavours, higher

tannin levels and dark inky colour. These characteristics often give

Cabernet Sauvignon a leading role in a blend.

Another notable trait of Cabernet Sauvignon is its affinity for oak, either

during fermentation or in barrel aging. In addition to having a softening

effect on the grape’s naturally high tannins, the unique wood flavours

and vanilla and spice compliment the natural grape flavours of black

currant and other dark fruits.

So, in terms of character traits Cabernet Sauvignon is

quite a dominant character, thick skinned and

somewhat intense at times but also mixes well with

others, usually as the centre of attention! We all know

one...

Where are you planning on travelling?

If you had asked Cabernet Sauvignon back in the

17th century, “where are you planning on

travelling?”, it would probably not have imagined the

extent of its influence around the world. From

Bordeaux, Italy, to Australia, South Africa and California, many different

styles are produced.

In the Old World, Bordeaux is king and shows

Cabernet Sauvignon’s propensity for slightly cooler

climates and well drained gravel based soils

In South Africa, Stellenbosch is seen as a centre for producing great

Cabernet Sauvignon’s and red blends. It is a warmer climate than

Bordeaux and shows more riper fruit flavours.

What does it do for flavour?

So, when confronted with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon and a table of

Guests who have gone silent in anticipation of your informed comments on

the wine in the glass, what to say!?

The style of Cabernet Sauvignon is strongly

influenced by the ripeness of the grapes at

harvest. When more on the unripe side,

the grapes are high in pyrazines and will

exhibit pronounced green bell peppers and

vegetal flavours. When harvested overripe

the wines can taste jammy and may have

aromas of stewed black currants.

When Cabernet Sauvignon is young, the wines typically exhibit strong fruit

flavours of black cherries and plum. The aroma of black currants is one of

the most distinctive and characteristic element of Cabernet Sauvignon that

is present in virtually every style of the wine across the globe.

Styles from various regions and producers may also have aromas of

eucalyptus, mint and tobacco. As the wines age they can sometimes

develop aromas associated with cedar, cigar boxes and pencil shavings. In

general New World examples have more pronounced fruity notes while Old

World wines can be more austere with heightened earthy notes.

“I would tend to agree with

Typical Cabernet Sauvignon Smell and/or Flavour Descriptors (The

cheat sheet)

Varietal Aromas/Flavours: Processing Bouquets/Flavours:

Fruit: Blackcurrant, Blackberry, Black

cherry, Plum, Cassis

Herbal: Green Pepper, Mint, Green

Olive, Asparagus, Bell Pepper

Spice: Ginger, Green peppercorn,

Pimento

Oak (light): Vanilla, Coconut, Sweet

wood

Oak (heavy): Chocolate, Coffee,

Smoke, Toast, Tar, Oak

Bottle Age: Pencil Shavings, Cedar,

Cigar box, Musk, Mushroom, Earth,

Leather

Regionality in South Africa

The wine world loves to differentiate wine styles by region and this stems

largely from areas like Burgundy and Bordeaux where one vineyard can be

a stone throw from another vineyard and the wines vary in flavour just as

much as price! Here is a very general overall of some regional styles to look

Stellenbosch: Well drained sandstone and shale soils and partly shielded

from cool sea breezes. Intense flavours and dense tannin structures are the

typical traits here. A lot of award winning Cabernet Sauvignons.

Helderberg: Similar to Stellenbosch but varying altitudes and more sea

breeze contact. Blue and blackberry is typical with a finer tannin structure

and lower alcohol levels.

Helshoogte pocket: Just outside Stellenbosch. Slightly cooler climate and

famous for minty traits of Thelema Cabernet Sauvignons.

Elgin: Cool climate with Cabernet Sauvignons showing Old World freshness

in acidity, lower alcohol and dark fruit character.

Franschhoek: Warmer interior, concentrated fruit and rounded tannins,

usually quite accessible at a young age.

Paarl: Big, beastly Cabernet Sauvignons. Beautifully rich and structured.

Durbanville: A cooler climate produces finely textured Cabernet

Sauvignons with herbaceous characters.

Here is an extract from an interview we had with Eben Sadie, focusing on soil.

You can read more articles at www.undertheinfluence.co.za. Click through to

our blog.

It is said that all wine has one thing in common. Many may argue that the

commonality lies in the fact that all wines are made from grapes. Taking the

fact that grapes create wine as an absolute, the commonality lies in the fact

that all wines in the world have an address…a place. Wines are liquid images

that give us an understanding of a place. This is why wine has an origin, an

address, a place.

With European labels, or for that matter the old world, the importance of the

wine is not who produced it, but rather where it is from! For instance, in

Burgundy, Mussiny would be large and apparent on the label and the producer’s

name, small and insignificant in comparison. Mussiny is a place with a certain

soil. These producers produce places, not certain percentages of alcohol with

certain stylistic flavours. Soil is where a plant roots itself; a vine puts its whole

life, its anchor, in the soil. The whole neurological system of the vine is placed

in the soil. In the late 70’s wine became like fashion. Everyone wanted to be a

famous superstar of the wine world. Producers started pushing wine making as

a determinant factor for wine styles. Before the 70’s, the soil, the history and

the community were the driving factors. In the late 70’s and early 80’s a shift in

wine toward prestige and excellence was apparent, moving away from the

importance of soil and into the cellar.

BLOG POST

This saw the birth of great winemakers, the great winemakers portfolios, and

consumers opting for varietal wines like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc,

which became a function of branding. Hence, more important than the vines

grown and the soils grown in, was the need to produce a varietal wine of

fashion. In retrospect, we have lost so much in the last 20 years. Many wines

were made by people who put their own importance above that of the region or

address. All wineries use the same barrels, the same consultants and the same

university textbooks; hence it is only normal to assume that most of the wines

are starting to look the same.

Now we drink a Cabernet in Australia, Bordeaux and Napa and the

differentiation is minimal in many cases. What is important, in these wines, is

precision viticulture, precision wine making, precision barrels, precision yeasts

and precision clones while in the end it is no surprise that many of the wines

have no character of soil.

In Burgundy there are vineyards the size of a dining room in a large house, a

soil with an expression. Within a stone throw of this aforementioned vineyard

you have a similar sized vineyard, however one wine is priced at 5 Euros and

the other at 300 Euros. Not because the light is better, or the climate is so

different, but because the soil is superior and everything is working in harmony.

The New World is developing its wine regions where everything needs to occur

instantaneously. The development of viticultural land is determined by the

economy, excel spreadsheets, the financial manager, profitability and real

estate values. Europe’s wine regions were developed around 500 years ago, and

before this they had a thousand years without these modern day pressures,

such as marketing and branding. The varieties growing in Europe were planted

first and foremost as a function of the development of time. These grapes are

best suited to their chosen soils, not because of the economy, nor profitability,

nor a fashion created by newspapers 18000 kms away. These producers looked

at their climate, their disease pressures, their soil behaviour and cultural values

and this information determined that specific plants, varieties and vines on their

soils would make the expression of their place.

Eben Sadie’s unique philosophy on wines and their expressions of their place

have yielded world acclaim through two of South Africa’s most rare and most

highly rated wines, Columella and Pilladius.

BLOG POST continued...