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
and Chardonnay. It's at an altitude of 420 metres, with some of the
vineyards enjoying a clear view of the sea, which is just 3 km away.
Chardonnay,
Iona
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. He runs Iona together with his
wife Rozy, who is an artist.
Werner Muller, winemaker, and Andrew
Gunn
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 during the growing season,
then it's unusual.
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.
The Brocha farm
Soils at Brocha
Brocha
There are now three Iona farms. As well as the home farm, on top of
a ridge at the edge of the Elgin region, there's another, Rozy's
farm Brocha, further down in the valley, which specialises in Syrah,
among other things. The main farm has 29 hectares of vines, while
Brocha has 11 hectares, making a total of 40. Recently, Iona
acquired a spectacular new farm, Langrug, with distinctive
koffieklip decomposed shale soils. This has 14 hectares of vines,
including some very good Pinot Noir and 2 hectares of recently
planted Nebbiolo.
Langrug
Langrug soils
The Cloof vineyard
Soils at Kloof
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.'
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.
Winemaking here has been led by Werner Muller (above), who joined
from Chamonix in 2011, after previous winemaker John Seccombe had
left just a month before vintage.
Andrew and Rozy would like to work organically, but find weed
control the big obstacle. They do just one herbicide treatment a
year and use no pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. They're also
trying to get rid of copper and sulphur as fungicides, and are
working with microbial products such as Bacillus.
Chardonnay is a big focus. They have 6 hectares in three blocks, and
they've just planed another 3 hectares. It's whole bunch pressed,
and some goes straight to barrel. 'We are all serious about
Chardonnay in Elgin,' says Werner. 'It's the place in South Africa
to plant this variety.'
Syrah, Iona
Iona is also very well known for its Sauvignon Blanc, which is one
of the very best examples of this variety in the Cape. The regular
Sauvignon is very pure and precise. I tried some barrel samples of
the 2016 Sauvignon and also some Semillon, which were really
impressive. This barrel-fermented stuff goes into the excellent one
man band. 'For me, how we could improve Sauvignon Blanc is through
texture,' says Werner. 'Time in oak gives One Man Band a bit of
fatness and develops flavour, without it being clumsy or overdone.'
THE WINES
Iona Sauvignon Blanc 2016 Elgin, South Africa
Intense and lively with grapefruit and herb on the nose.
Pristine with lovely precision on the intense palate which shows
tight, crisp fruit and a touch of herbiness, as well as some
salinity. Very driven and focused. Pure. 91/100 (10/16)
Iona Sauvignon Blanc 2003 Elgin, South Africa
You wouldn't expect unoaked Sauvignon to age, but this has
really nicely. Fresh and lively with some herby noes and nice apple
and lemon notes. There's bright grapefruit character, too, as well
as a hint of cabbage. Smoky hints. 91/100 (10/16)
Iona One Man Band white 2015 Elgin, South
Africa
This is 60% Semillon, 40% Sauvignon, pressed
whole bunch to old 500 litre barrels, wild ferment. Really complex,
taut and detailed with grapefruit, aniseed and lemon notes. Compact
and pure with great acidity. So fine and pure. 94/100 (10/16)
Iona Chardonnay 2006 Elgin, Chardonnay
Made by Niels Verburg. Lovely textured pear and peach fruit
with some nice spiciness and a bit of quince. Some nutty cashew and
peach skin depth, with a bit of mineral. Has aged really well.
92/100 (10/16)
Iona Chardonnay 2007 Elgin, South Africa
Mushroom hints on the nose with spice, pear, peach and
melon richness. Bold and richly textured with sweet fruit
characters. 90/100 (10/16)
Iona Chardonnay 2008 Elgin, South Africa
Fresh and intense with nice smooth white peach and pear
fruit. Lovely textural wine showing smooth fruit and fine spiciness,
with a mineral edge. Very fine. 93/100 (10/16)
Iona Chardonnay 2010 Elgin, South Africa
Complex, tight and toasty with nice citrus, white peach and
pear fruit. Bold and balanced with lovely pear and spice notes. Has
depth but also freshness. 94/100 (10/16)
Iona Chardonnay 2011 Elgin, South Africa
Lovely cabbage, spice and pear fruit. Nice weight. Fine
spiciness complements some peach fruit on the palate. Bold yet
focused with real precision. 93/100 (10/16)
Iona Chardonnay 2012 Elgin, South Africa
Fresh and detailed with lovely pear, citrus and mandarin
characters. Shows real precision and delicacy. 94/100 (10/16)
Iona Chardonnay 2014 Elgin, South Africa
Lovely pear and white peach fruit with nice citrus focus.
Lively with pith and nut complexity and direct fruit at its core.
Real finesse to this wine. 94/100 (10/16)
Iona Chardonnay 2015 Elgin, South Africa
Tightly focused with a slightly mealy nose and nice citrus
fruits. Tight citrus and pear fruit palate with apple and lemon
characters. Linear and focused with lovely clean fruit and precise
flavours. 92/100 (10/16)
Iona Chardonnay 2016 Elgin, South Africa
Just bottled. Textural and spicy with nice depth to the
white peach and pear fruit. Some citrus and a bit of pithiness. A
really impressive youthful wine. 93/100 (03/17)
Iona Pinot Noir 2015 Elgin, South Africa
Fresh and supple with lovely elegance. Finely spiced with
red cherries and plums. Fresh and bright with purity, precision and
detail. 93/100 (03/17)
Iona Solace Syrah 2014 Elgin, South Africa
Just 500 cases made of this elegant Syrah. Lovely floral,
peppery red fruits nose. Juicy, appley palate with freshness and
structure, showing cherries, plums and spice. Expressive and
balanced with a savoury twist. 94/100 (10/16)
Iona Solace Syrah 2015 Elgin, South Africa
Vivid, peppery, bright and juicy with lovely freshness to
the direct plum and cherry fruit. Elegant and fine with lovely
detail, and hints of clove and olive. Such balance and weight.
94/100 (03/17)
Iona One Man Band Red 2010 Elgin, South
Africa
Mainly Shiraz but with Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot, Petit Verdot and Mourvedre in the blend. 16 months in 500
litre oak. Brooding blackcurrant and blackberry nose. Very fresh
with lively, focused fruit and a bit of grippiness. Firm, spicy and
gravelly. 91/100 (10/16)
ELGIN WINE
Introduction
Elgin
Ridge
Almenkerk
Iona
Paul
Cluver
See
also:
A
visit to Elgin from 2010
Wines
tasted as indicated
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