Such are the ambitions for Jackson Family Wines’ Capensis project in South Africa that head winemaker Graham Weerts doesn’t shy away from comparisons with Burgundy – although its regional blend concept also has echoes of the Penfolds approach, as Richard Woodard discovers. To date, South Africa’s fine wine credentials have largely been built on the quality of the country’s red wines: full-bodied examples from Stellenbosch or more delicate, cool-climate expressions from areas such as the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. Among white wines, you might think of Vin de Constance, or possibly bush vine Chenin Blanc – but what about Chardonnay? “South Africa is world-class when it comes to Chardonnay, and we are only scratching the surface in terms of discovering some of South Africa’s amazing vineyards,” claims Graham Weerts, head winemaker at Jackson Family Wines-owned Capensis, established in the Western Cape in 2013. “Some of my early experiences with Chardonnay were while working with Mike Dobrovic at Mulderbosch Vineyards, discovering sublime Chardonnay sites that stood the test of time in the bottle. Outside of Burgundy, there aren’t many places where you can grow great Chardonnay, but South Africa has a few of those places.” In 2007, Jackson Family Wines chairman and proprietor Barbara Banke visited South Africa and – says Weerts – was “blown away” by what she saw. “There was a revolution happening from a quality perspective, and in the process of looking for a vineyard site we stumbled upon this amazing place – what is now our Fijnbosch vineyard,”
This Article was originally published on The Drink Business - Fine Wine
