Cartology 2023

Cartology means the study of maps and the name is an exploration through different iconic wineries, which have become Cape heritage. Indeed, this vintage is made up of rare and extraordinary plots, planted for centuries and coming from the 3 renowned regions of Walker Bay, Swartland, and Hemel-and-Aarde. This name couldn't be more perfect for this wine, not only because of the effort to research and find these special old vineyards, but also because the wine itself can be considered a wine map of the Cape. The grapes are picked and sorted by hand and very delicately pressed into whole clusters. Fermentation, natural and spontaneous, takes place in cement eggs, clay pots, tuns, and old barrels (of various sizes). The wine is then aged on its lees for around 18 months to give it texture and complexity. The wine is expressed with notes of candied lemon , ripe apples , Williams pears , kumquat , oats, honey, quince , honeysuckle and elderflowers . In the mouth it is precise and harmonious, the acidity is fine, the aromatic complexity is very intense and the finish is long. A great wine!

The first vines were planted in South Africa by Dutch settlers in the 1650s, although wine production did not really begin to take off until the arrival of French Protestants, in the 1680s, with their skills and their knowledge of viticulture. Stellenbosch is also a historic wine region, with the first vineyards being planted there in the 1690s. Today South Africa is one of the most important wine producing countries in the southern hemisphere. With over 300 years of winemaking history, it is often described as a bridge between the Old and New Worlds. The majority of wines are produced using New World winemaking techniques, but they often have more in common stylistically with their Old World counterparts. Since the end of apartheid, South African wine has received international attention and acclaim for its wide variety of styles. South Africa's wine industry is spread across the lush and rugged landscape of the Western Cape. Here, the abundance of mountains, valleys and plateaus allows winemakers to produce a wide variety of styles. Vineyards can also be found in the Orange River region of the Northern Cape, where the flat, arid landscape is dominated by the Kalahari Desert. Most of South Africa's wine regions have a Mediterranean climate, strongly influenced by the meeting of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The country's signature grape variety is Pinotage, an indigenous cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut that is rarely found in quantity in other wine-producing countries. Shiraz (Syrah) is also widely planted, as are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (often combined in a Bordeaux blend). South African Chardonnay, Chenin and Sauvignon Blanc have become popular internationally in recent years.