Driving over the Sir Lowry’s pass on the way to Paul Cluver in Elgin in heavy rain, my ears began to pop from the altitude. A sign read 450 meters. Reaching Paul Cluver the temperature gauge in the car read a cool 11° Celsius whereas when we returned to Cape Town the temperature gauge read 16° Celsius. A five degree difference.
These are the two factors which mark Elgin as a wine growing region, high altitude and cool temperatures. This results in wines that are refined and aromatic with good acidity. This has put Elgin on the quality viticultural map in a relatively short span of time. All this applies to Paul Cluver although with a first bottling in 1997 Paul Cluver can claim to have been around for a bit longer than some of its up and coming neighbours.
Sitting down to a tasting with winemaker Andries Burger who has been the cellar master at the farm since November 1996 (he has really seen the process) we rapidly tasted what Paul Cluver has to offer at present. Largely an array of white wines, two fine Pinot Noirs form part of the impressive line up.
We started with the 2012 Sauvignon Blanc pale straw with green tinges. Grape fruit and other sour fruit on the nose. None of the guavas and tropical fruit found in so many SA Sauvignon Blancs. On the palate green gages and sour plums. A refreshing change from many SA Sauvignon Blancs with good length.
The Riesling 2013- a tank sample. Called The Dry Encounter with 8.2 grams of sugar. Very pale gold with jasmine, Turkish delight on the nose. The palate the same with some citrus and floral tones also present.
Riesling Close Encounter
The Riesling 2012 Close Encounter. Very pale gold, good clear colour. Only 8 and half degrees alcohol perhaps in the Germanic mold? Sweeter than the previous with 30 grams of sugar, a Natural Sweet. I liked the extra sugar (something I prefer in most South African Rieslings) as I find that it helps balance the often dominant acidity and results in a more accessible, rounded wine. Sweet, floral notes on the nose with minerality on the palate and green apples.
The Gewurztraminer 2012. 11 grams of sugar. Lovely pale gold colour. Nose aromatic but shy. Typical Turkish delight and rose petals. Palate austere. Not so widely planted in SA anymore and a good addition to a sadly needed variety. An understated expression here not full blown and in your face.
The Chardonnay 2012. Burnished pale gold. 100% wild yeast fermented. Only 30% new oak allowing for more fruit expression. On the nose lemon and butter, orange peel. Also toast and burnt oak. Lovely full palate, rich and refined with the wood in the background and a slight gunflint character. A fabulous Chardonnay, I really liked this one!
Pinot Noir 2011- Pale off garnet. Nose of red berries and violets. Palate iron like apparently stemming from the soils. Good grip on the palate.
The flagship Pinot Noir Seven Flags 2010- From gravel soils and vinified separately. Selected from the vineyards and then barrel selected. 25% new wood. Even garnet with the nose smoky showing minerality. Palate round, smooth and textured. Definitely, one of the finest Pinot Noirs on offer in South Africa amongst a group of some very fine Pinot Noir.
Noble Late Harvest
Finally, the Riesling Noble Late Harvest 2012. Andries mentioned that Paul Cluver always gets botrytis. Beautiful green gold. Lovely dry apricots, pineapple and honey suckle on the complex nose. Rich but with good, bracing acidity. Limes, green fruits and sour plums on the palate. Absolutely delicious! Adding to the array of superb desert wines produced in South Africa but with a unique identity.
The tasting revealed that Paul Cluver produce very elegant, refined wines with good acidity. The high acidity that is well integrated is a trademark of the Elgin region. Their wines (the Paul Cluver wines) are very aromatic and for this reason the majority of their wines are under screw cap to enhance these aromatic qualities and prevent oxidative problems associated with corks. The only wines under cork are the Seven Flags Pinot Noir and the Noble Late Harvest Riesling simply as Andries pointed out so that they could not get the screw cap for the later wine. Andries stated that they are “wines to enjoy” and their sensuousness together with their intense flavours together with their intrinsic balance make this possible.
Elgin is a very exciting wine region with a unique character. It boasts many producers of a high quality offering a diverse range of styles and offerings. From the intense, gunflint Sauvignon Blanc’s of Iona to the rich, immediately accessible Merlots and Pinot Noirs of Shannon. But the Elgin stamp marks all of them.
Paul Cluver possesses the Elgin stamp too but their wines hold a unique and very different identity. Specializing in varieties not often planted in South Africa they produce them with great skill, finesse and aplomb. This definitely makes Paul Cluver a producer worth seeking out and supporting.
