Young Guns and New Wave Producers
Timed Online Auction, 17 - 27 November 2023
Young Gun and New Wave Producers
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About this Item
Chris and Suzanne Alheit set the wine world on fire with their maiden 2011 Cartology receiving 96 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. Aiming to harness the best old vineyards across the Cape, the Cartology offered a textured old-vine Chenin Blanc Semillon blend with startling purity and depth. Passionate and focused on the expression of place, tiny, long-forgotten parcels were added to the range, and are today South Africa’s most profound white wines. We auction maiden vintages of Magnetic Makstok on the legendary ‘Skurfkop’ in the Citrusdal area, Huilkrans in the Paardeberg, La Colline in Franschhoek, and, extremely rare Radio Lazarus in Stellenbosch.
When most people think of Franschhoek, they think of a beautiful little town surrounded by even more beautiful mountains. Not many people know that Franschhoek is the capital of old vine Sémillon in the Cape. For wine people, these parcels are a bit of a national treasure.
La Colline is the name of a fruit farm on the southern slopes of the Dassenberg and is home to one of the true greats of Cape heritage vineyards. The vines were planted in 1936 by Antonie Roux, the grandfather of the current farmer Anton Roux. It’s situated between 310 and 350 m above sea-level on quartz rich sandstone and granite soil. During summer, these tightly planted bushvines form a wild looking mess of life and grapes. In winter, they resemble a crowd of drunkards cartwheeling across the slope. It is a beautiful old thing.
These vines are related to the original vineyard material brought to the Cape in the mid-1600s. Generations of farmers selecting their plants over centuries has led to some unique genetics: parcels of vines like this have several different colours of Sémillon growing side by side in a gnarly mess of vine wood: Gris, Rose, Blanc, Vert at the very least. This is very Cape DNA.
Provenance
Wine Cellar Private Client
Critics Ratings
‘From a Franschhoek vineyard of Semillon and Semillon Gris. On the nose, there’s a note of orange blossom before citrus, yellow apple, peach, dried herbs and hay – lots going on but equally nothing too heady or exaggerated. The palate meanwhile shows extraordinary fruit concentration and great length. Intense without being weighty, it comes across as just about perfectly realised. Profoundly good.’ – Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za, 97/100 (May 2017)
‘Sourced from a south-facing slope at over 320 metres in Franschhoek, this old vine Semillon (with a little Semillon Gris) is one of the best in the Cape. Riper and a little peachier than the 2015, but with the same dill, beeswax and citrus notes, underpinned by just a hint of struck match character. 2018-26’ - Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2017, 96/100
‘A tautly coiled, waxy white peach-scented, co-fermented field blend of 81-year-old Semillon Blanc with Semillon Gris. A fine-lined and precise wine that will suit long-term keeping.’ – Nancy Gilchrist MW, Decanter.com, 96/100 (Oct 2017)
‘Sweet top note. And green edginess keeps it tense and fine. Racy but substantial. Made for the long term.’ – Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, 16.5/20 (Oct 2017)
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