Great wines have one thing in common – great locations. For Ernie Els Wines, it’s the sublime slope of the Helderberg Mountain. Clifford Roberts reports.
It’s a good thing mountains don’t have feelings because of course, no-one remembers second place. After visiting Table Mountain, first-time visitors to South Africa commonly head for the Garden Route, skirting the lower reaches of their second geological protuberance.
From its name, you’d think it memorable, but all eyes being on the coast up ahead, it often goes unseen. Early settlers, observing how this monument’s slopes lay virtually perpendicular to the sun and lit up at sunset, called it the Helderberg, meaning “clear mountain”. In the context of wine, however, the place is everything.
From the upper reaches of the 1 137m-high peaks, a multitude of streams begin their journey down, gathering first into the Bonte River and then the Eerste River that drains into the sea at Macassar. It makes a fitting metaphor for the influences that give rise to the singular expression that is Ernie Els Wines.
As the flow of rivulets in the catchment are directed by the simplest vagaries of nature – gravity and landscape – so too are the golden threads in the weave of Ernie Els Wines.
“The cornerstone of all we do is the environment,” declares Ernie Els winemaker Louis Strydom. “It is this amazing environment that guides you to what to expect in a bottle. It’s a show we ensure our wines are purer because they’re the closest reflection of the vineyards.”
At its heart is the variety that shines the most: Cabernet Sauvignon.
On the Helderberg’s north-facing slopes that the cellar of Ernie Els Wines overlooks, viticulturist Dr Ettienne Terblanche writes in Stellenbosch Wine Routes’ 50th anniversary commemorative book, “unhurried ripening joins forces with rich soils to yield bold yet refined expressions with chutzpah and ageability to boot”.
That unhurried ripening comes from the influence of the cold Atlantic Ocean and an optimal diurnal range – the difference in day and night temperatures.
Cabernet Sauvignon was the grape that Ernie Els Wines championed from the very beginning, 25 years ago. Today, the famous cellar demonstrates not only excellence of the variety, but its versatility too. The range includes a rosé made from Cabernet Sauvignon, showing its fun side. There’s the Big Easy range that incorporates a single variety Cabernet Sauvignon and the variety blended with Shiraz, which show that red wine can be accessible. There’s the more classic Major series Cabernet Sauvignon, which shows purity and the ability of the variety to mature. To this are added blends that showcase the power of its nuance.
The Signature shows the power of a Bordeaux style with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, austerity, and minerality. The Proprietor’s Blend harnesses Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz as the dominant varieties that deliver an appealing richness.
“If there’s one take-away in the message from Ernie Els Wines, it is the ability to show the many faces of Cabernet Sauvignon,” says Louis. “It’s all made possible by the environment, a broad clonal selection, precision viticulture, gentle winemaking, and the use of diverse maturation and fermentation techniques and vessels.”
Harnessed together, they give rise to a unique and internationally-acclaimed perspective.
“Helderberg Cabernet Sauvignon lets us straddle between the typical power of Napa Valley, and the more refinement and elegance, and austerity of Bordeaux. We can make wines that have New World touch of richness and power, and restraint of the Old World.”
They represent a snapshot of a season and galvanise the moment of enjoyment. “It captures the very DNA of the property,” says Louis.
An essential part of closing the circle on the story of Ernie Els Wines has been the cellar experience itself. The evolution of the cellar, which culminated most recently with its re-design, has sought to visualise the winemaking journey and philosophy of excellence, and to demonstrate greatness through the ageability of the wines.
“Our wines don’t age well because we say so,” says Louis. “The evidence is in the vinoteque and our 10-year release program that allows you to walk in, buy an older wine of your choice, and to enjoy it immediately.
“You can tell people about the potential of the wine, but the real proof is in the glass. It’s sunshine captured more than 10 years ago.”
Getting to this point took time, of course. While the region is among the most awarded for red wines in South Africa, the idea that Cabernet Sauvignon should be the lead at Ernie Els Wines, came gradually. “We eventually realised how truly exceptional the environment is and just how well the variety does. All we needed to do was let it speak for itself, which is the reason for our drive to purity.”
It was indeed as if the mountain that had always been there was being seen for the first time. And not only its highpoints and broad shoulders, but its deep red soils and peppering of decomposed granite too.
ALSO SEE: Ernie Els Wines: Authenticity through age
Images: Supplied
