Not quite September, but McGregor is full on with spring today – apricot blossom, yellow daisies, Namaqua daisies and indigenous jasmine flowering – no matter which direction I look from my two study windows, a riot of colour greets the eye.
These are days when the house wine can stay in the fridge: time to celebrate with something special and one can hardly do better than sipping a glass of Muratie’s scintillating Laurens Campher white blend. The 2014 vintage is as tempting as its predecessor – just under half chenin from an old block, 27% sauvignon blanc, a little less than 20% of verdelho and finished with viognier. Its a gorgeous meld, elegance in evidence but the typical chenin and sauvignon honey and citrus are there, along with floral notes from viognier and a zippiness, perhaps the verdelho component. Eight months in French oak have added complexity and structure to the mix. Well worth its R120 price tag.
Muratie never fails to intrigue with its fascinating history, and this wine, named after original farm owner Laurens Campher who was granted tenure of this farm in 1685 and continued his courtship of Ansela van de Caab, a slave at the Castle, for 14 long years until she was freed and could marry him. To Laurens and Ansela, a toast to perseverance!
Another piece of Muratie history worth recording is that a later custodian, artist George Paul Canitz, was the first to cultivate pinot noir in south Africa, planting a vineyard in 1927. This renowned bon vivant is well celebrated at the farm with an art gallery in the refurbished concrete wine tanks and self-catering accommodation for visitors in his original art studio.While I cannot admit to sharing all the current enthusiasm for pinot noir – some of which is pretty forgettable – it’s apt that Muratie’s 2012 vintage is a delicious wine, combining earthiness with berry, spicy and licorice flavours in a smooth mouthful followed by a satisfying long finish. Selling at R180, this a red that greets spring with panache from an estate whose 330- year- history is on record for all to see.
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