Stellenbosch is at the heart of South Africa's wine industry and is also one of the most beautiful regions. The town itself is a university town that has produced over one hundred and fifty Springbok rugby players. The Stellenbosch valley is fertile and very suited to agriculture, a fact recognised by The Dutch East India Company who grew fruit and vegetables here to supply ships en route to and from the East Indies. Stellenbosch has a vast array of soil types but too many of its vineyards are planted on unsuitable, flat alluvial sites, resulting in a certain inconsistency in quality and style. Until recently, this was regarded as red wine country with Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinotage dominating plantings. More recently, plantings of Chardonnay and Sauvignon on decomposed, granite hillsides in the Helderberg and Simonsberg mountains, have produced some beautifully balanced white wines.
Chenin Blanc, 2005 Jordan Vineyards, Stellenbosch
Layers of rich tropical fruit and creamy citrus flavours, interlaced with a spicy, white peppercorn complexity from barrel-fermentation create a well-balanced wine with a natural fruity acidity.
The juice was barrel- fermented in 228 litre second-fill Burgundy-shaped barrels, and matured sur-lie in the barrel for 7 months with occasional batonage. 31% tank-fermented Chenin Blanc was added to the blend.
Gary and Kathy Jordan have been making world-class wines since 1993 on a farm with a history going back over 300 years. He's a geologist, she's an economist - together this husband and wife team is a phenomenon. Gary's parents, Ted and Sheelagh, bought the 146 hectare Stellenbosch property in 1982, and embarked on an extensive replanting programme, specializing in classic varieties suited to the different soils and slopes.
From the Jordan hillside vineyards one has spectacular panoramic views of Table Mountain, False Bay and Stellenbosch. Gary and Kathy worked internationally for two years, refining their high-energy instincts with practical experience. They returned home to build a cellar in 1992.
The following year, the vines were judged ready for making wines that would carry the Jordan name. From that first year it was obvious that a new star had been added to the winemaking firmament. Continuing success has enlarged the team, with the focus on producing fiercely individual wines that combine the fruity accessibility of the New World with the Classic Elegance.
A deep red full bodied Pinotage with complex black and red berry and oak flavours on the palate that will integrate well with bottle age. A wine that will last at least 5-8 years in the bottle.
Kanonkop derives its name from a kopje (hillock) from which a cannon was fired in the 17th century to alert farmers in outlying areas of the Boland that sailing ships plying the waters between Europe and the Far East had entered Table Bay for a stopover at Cape Town. In those days the Cape was, first and foremost, a replenishment station and the farmers would load their wagons and set off for the harbour town to barter their produce, mainly fresh fruit and vegetables, to the sailors and other travellers.
Kanonkop is a fourth generation family estate, which was purchased by J.W. Sauer, who served on the Cabinet of the original Cape Provincial Council after the Union was established in South Africa. His son Paul O. Sauer, who became a Cabinet Minister with the portfolio of Railways and Harbours and then became a senator, took over the reigns from his father and was joined by one of the characters of his day, winemaker Danie Rossouw.
In 1967 former Springbok rugby great, Jan Boland Coetzee, joined the team as a young graduate winemaker from the University of Stellenbosch. Mary Sauer, daughter of Paul Sauer, married Jannie Krige, a rugby administrator at the University of Stellenbosch, and he took early retirement to run the estate. Together with Coetzee they made the first estate bottled wines at Kanonkop in 1973.
With the departure of Coetzee in 1980, Beyers Truter, also of Beyerskloof winery, joined the estate as winemaker and together with Johann and Paul, sons of Mary and Jannie, they continue the traditions developed on this highly prized estate.
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