Iona,
Elgin
South
Africa revisited part 15
In
1997 Andrew Gunn (above), who’d made his money from a medical
suture company, bought a run-down apple farm in the Elgin region. Now
it’s one of South Africa’s leading producers of Sauvignon Blanc,
although 15 hectares of apple trees still remain alongside the
vineyards. It’s at an altitude of 420 metres, with a view of the
sea, which is just 3 km away.
Gunn
is a first-generation South African. His grandfather was Scottish
(hence the name ‘Iona’), a member of one of the oldest clans, the
Sutherlands, from near Wick. Remarkably, they can trace their ancestry
back to the Vikings. I met with him, his wife Rozy, and winemaker John
Seccombe.
Gunn
didn’t plant blind; he knew what he was doing in selecting this
site. Initially, he put temperature loggers around the farm, and found
that the climate here was significantly cooler than expected over the
three months that the loggers were recording data. He was able to
compare his farm data with those from the Elgin weather station.
Because there was a consistent relationship over his three month
trial, he was then able to extrapolate his data out over the whole
growing season. The exciting results showed that this site was cooler
than equivalent places in Europe where Sauvignon Blanc was grown. If
the grapes could ripen, then the results could be quite exciting. Peak
summer temperatures here are usually 24–25 °C, and if they
experience three days over 30 °C, then it’s unusual.
John
Seccombe
Gunn’s
uncle was a professor of geomorphology, and he came out in 1997 to do
a survey of the site. It showed that the farm had post-glacial
alluvial soils: it was an old river valley. The first harvest was in
2001: by South African standards, it was a late one, straddling the
end of March and beginning of April. Gunn found that he was getting
good fruit set and a long ripening period, which seemed ideal.
Sauvignon
Blanc is the main focus, and 65% of Iona’s plantings are accounted
for by this variety. Gunn also owns another farm down in the valley,
with Syrah, Mourvèdre and Viognier planted. He never has to acidify.
The main farm has 29 hectares of vines, while the property in the
valley is 11 hectares, making a total of 40.
Elgin
is quite a new region. When Andrew Gunn started out, Paul Cluver was
the only producer in the region. Oak Valley was third. ‘We believe
it is the up and coming wine region,’ says Gunn. ‘Shortly after I
started planting I called a meeting of farmers to share experience. We
formed the Elgin Wine Guild, with a view to promote quality.’
In
terms of South Africa’s wine classification, Elgin is currently a
ward, but will soon be a wine district. It’s the only one with
natural boundaries – in this case, three mountain ranges and the
sea. It’s a bowl surrounded by mountains, with the valley floor at
300 m, and the highest vineyards are 900 m. If harvest date is used as
a measure of climate, this is the coolest wine region in South Africa.
The
Sauvignon is really impressive. ‘Here is a site where we have longer
hang time, and can push ripeness without losing acid and getting silly
alcohol levels,’ says John Seccombe, the winemaker. ‘For me,
Sauvignon is about balance on the palate. I have never been a fan of
methoxypyrazine. Let’s try harder to make a balanced wine.’ The
2010 Sauvignon is a slight departure in style; the first year that
Seccombe has attempted to push the ripeness a bit more.
Gunn
is a big fan of Chardonnay. ‘I planted it because I love white
Burgundy. I am very excited about Chardonnay from Elgin generally,’
he reveals.
THE
WINES
Iona
Sauvignon Blanc 2006 Elgin (cork sealed)
Lovely fruit here: crisp and taut nice citrus fruit, and a subtle
lanolin edge. Good acidity. 91/100
Iona
Sauvignon Blanc 2006 Elgin (screwcapped)
Bright, fresh, mineral nose with some citrus notes. Fresh and
crisp. The palate is fresh, citrussy and mineral with slightly herbal
fruit. Lovely. 90/100
Iona
Sauvignon Blanc 2010 Elgin
Beautiful nose: ripe, full and aromatic with rich melon and pear
notes. The palate has some rich melon fruit as well as herbiness and
lovely fresh grapefruit and spicy minerality. Fresh and crisp yet with
richness of fruit. 92/100
Iona
Chardonnay 2009 Elgin
50% stainless steel, 50% wood (one-fifth new). Wild ferment. Dense
but fresh with a herby edge to the generous fruit. Peach, pear and
some spice notes. Lovely subtle toasty, nutty richness and some citrus
freshness here. Fine acidity. 89/100
Iona
Syrah 2007 Elgin
Lovely dark cherry, plum and olive nose. Rich, fresh, meaty and
spicy with some grippiness. The palate is dense and rich with ripe
blackberry and blackcurrant fruit as well as plum and spice notes, and
a bit of pepperiness. Bright fruit and a lovely complex spicy, peppery
dimension. 93/100
SOUTH
AFRICA REVISITED
Part
1, Tulbagh Mountain Vineyards
Part
2, Cape Point Vineyards
Part
3, AA Badenhorst
Family Wines
Part
4, Eben Sadie: Sadie
Family Wines and Sequillo Cellars
Part
5, Paul Kretzel of
Lammershoek
Part
6, Mullineux Family
Wines
Part
7, Vondeling
Part
8, Scali
Part
9, Sterhuis
Part
10, Raats
Part
11, Migliarina
Part
12, Charles Back and Fairview
Part
13, Hermit on the Hill
Part
14, Klein Constantia
Part
15, Iona, Elgin
Part 16, Paul
Cluver, Elgin
Part 17, Eagles'
Nest, Constantia
Part 18, Anthonij
Rupert
Part 19, Oak
Valley, Elgin
Part 20, Shannon,
Elgin
Wines
tasted 10/10
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