Winter was late in coming this year, but when it did arrive it really made its presence known. Drenching rains – always welcomed by the post-summer soils – icy temperatures, especially during the evenings and early mornings, and even a light dusting of snow on the mountains surrounding the beautiful Robertson Valley.
This is a time of bright, champagne days and clear skies, with the cellar filled with the heady aromas of this year’s wines maturing in the barrels. It is a time of investigating what the vintage of 2022 has provided in terms of flavour profiles, structure and nuance. And it is exciting and fascinating to expose one’s senses to these new unreleased wines and to once again be reminded of the wonders of the wine world where nature imparts its own unique stamp on every different year.
Pruning vineyards
Winter is the time for work in the vineyards, too. The teams of pruners are to be found under broad blue skies, their secateurs clacking away as they remove old, tired shoots from the vines and with deft skill cut away the wood to reveal new nodes that will bear next year’s fruit as well as influencing the growth-cycle of the year thereafter.
Teams of pruners
Limestone Hill and Lilya Rosé
With our customers eager to taste what the 2022 vintage has given, De Wetshof has already released two wines from this year’s harvest: The Lilya Rosé and our popular Limestone Hill, a Chardonnay that has built-up a following among the fashionable wine-drinking set who prefer the zest and vibrance of an unwooded Chardonnay.
Lilya, named after Johann and Gera de Wet’s daughter, has been growing in popularity since its first release and we find ourselves having to increase production each year. The reasons for this are twofold: firstly, rosé is a style of wine growing in popularity among South African consumers – especially since wineries began introducing the dry styles of rosé to the market. Rosé’s image suffered for decades due to the only pink wines found being semi-sweet, which is not to everyone’s taste.
De Wetshof Lilya is the kind of fresh, floral and dry style of rosé that consumers really seem to love. The enticing salmon colour, the aromas of flowers and dry herbs and those pleasant berry flavours backed by a zippy acidity make it a lovely day-time drink in the outdoors environment we South Africans love. Taste the Lilya 2022, and you will see what we mean.
Limestone Hill is one of the Cape’s most awarded unwooded Chardonnays, and the 2022 vintage shows all the enticing features of a fine Chardonnay made with a focus on lees contact and without any exposure to wood. Pure Chardonnay notes abound, from citrus to nuts and stone fruit, with an alert energetic backbone keeping the wine focussed and linear. The 2022 vintage is drinking superbly and is now available - to the great relief of its legions of fans.
Decanter Platinum
We had great news on the awards front. Last month De Wetshof’s Bateleur Chardonnay 2020 was named as one of only five South African wines to receive Platinum status at this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards. The estate’s Bateleur achieved a 97pt rating at this influential wine competition, while De Wetshof’s The Site Chardonnay 2019 garnered 94pts.
Earlier this year the Bateleur 2020 was adjudged one of the top 10 wines at the Chardonnay du Monde, the world’s leading competition for wines made from the noble white grape of Burgundy.
The Decanter World Wine Awards remains one of the most important wine competitions due to the acclaimed judges involved and the influence of the Decanter magazine brand in attracting wine entries from around the world. At these awards you truly see your wines rated alongside the best in the world. And with Chardonnay being one of the most contested varieties, a Platinum award scoring of 97pts on the global stage is a remarkable achievement for De Wetshof’s flagship Bateleur.
De Wetshof Bateleur has had a good run at the Decanter Awards over the past three years, with the 2017 vintage achieving 95pts at the 2020 competition followed by a 96pt score claimed by the 2018 vintage last year. With consistency being the mark of a good wine, we can be justifiably proud of the latest achievements.
Wine World Beckons
As the world re-opens after the confines posed by the pandemic, South Africa is showing its wines to the world once again. De Wetshof has joined the surge of Cape wineries travelling abroad to re-connect with the international wine trade, and we are happy to report that the interest in our wine-offering remains as keen as ever. There is a breeze of excitement and much anticipation as thirsty interested global markets show great interest in South African wine – with the focus on Cape Chardonnay being especially noticeable and heartening. This puts De Wetshof on a firm footing for the remainder of 2022, as well as for a future that has stepped out of the shade of the past two-and-a-half years.
But home is, as ever, where the heart is. De Wetshof’s tasting-venue is open, as are our arms in welcoming you in the Valley of Wine and Roses. We look forward to seeing you.
