Don't overlook Lomond

The unexpected message from last week’s Ultra Mussels in May terroir tournament at Den Anker was just how good the Pinot Noir are from top Sauvignon Blanc producers and the 2012 Lomond Pinot Noir is a case in point. New Zealand is another good example of the phenomenon on a country-wide scale. SA’s largest wine producer Distell is busy reorganizing itself into luxury brands and commercial ones and Lomond sits proudly in the luxury camp.

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Lomond embraces a Cape Agulhas appellation declaration on the front label with the point re-emphasized on the back with a map confirming just how far south these vineyards lie. For a long time this was the argument Anthony Hamilton Russell used to proclaim the merits of his Walker Bay site until Agulhas opened up. Resourceful Hammo didn’t miss a beat and changed the argument to appropriate soils. Of course he is right to argue site as on a value for money basis, terroir producers like himself and Lomond cannot compete with brands like Obikwa and Two Oceans that source their grapes from the most cost effective vineyards.

The Distell portfolios are so diverse there is plenty of space for both expressions: terroir by site and terroir by truck. But with a name like Lomond, how long before a whisky distillery is erected on the site?