{"id":15936,"date":"2016-10-11T13:09:22","date_gmt":"2016-10-11T13:09:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/?p=15936"},"modified":"2016-10-11T14:50:10","modified_gmt":"2016-10-11T14:50:10","slug":"elgin-wine-region-almenkerk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/south-africa\/elgin-wine-region-almenkerk","title":{"rendered":"Elgin wine region: Almenkerk"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"almenkerk\"<\/p>\n

Almenkerk began when Joep van Almenkerk moved out to South Africa from Belgium in 2002 and bought a 32 hectare apple farm. He wanted to turn it into a wine farm \u2013 apples were bad business at the time and the region was looking very promising for grapes \u2013 and he asked his son, Joris, to run it. The farm is currently run by Joris and his wife Natalie, and they\u2019re a dynamic couple, doing a really good job here. I had great fun hanging out with them over the weekend.<\/p>\n

\"The
The view from the winery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Elgin is the only wine region in South Africa completely surrounded by mountains. The mountain ranges that fringe it like the rim on a saucer are made of table mountain sandstone, while inside the valley it\u2019s mostly decomposed shale. There are 7000 hectares of farming land in the valley, with 6000 hectares of orchards (mostly apples, some pears), which at the moment are making good money. There are just 800 hectares of vineyards, with vines disappearing. \u2018If we weren\u2019t passionate about what we do, we\u2019d just rip out vines and plant orchards,\u2019 says Joris.<\/p>\n

\"OLYMPUS<\/p>\n

\u2018For every cultivar, there\u2019s a distinct Elgin style,\u2019 says Joris. \u2018A large aspect of this is the high natural acidity from the large diurnal variations.\u2019<\/p>\n

He points out that while there are 28 producers making Elgin wines, there are only 9 cellars in Elgin. A lot of the grapes leave the valley. Almenkerk has 15 hectares of vineyards, plus four more of apples and pears, and they’ve just planted some more apples.`<\/p>\n

While Chardonnay is important, other varieties are too. \u2018I don\u2019t think Elgin should be a one-trick pony,\u2019 says Joris. \u2018The styles of our wines are so distinctive restaurants don\u2019t need to bump a wine off a list to put an Elgin wine on.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"OLYMPUS<\/p>\n

Almenkerk Sauvignon Blanc 2011 Elgin, South Africa<\/strong>
\nThis is made from a single vineyard at 305 m altitude, and it\u2019s made reductively, with oxygen excluded at pressing and lees stirring by means of dry ice chunks. Nice texture here, with a hint of fig and some pear, with lovely citrus fruits. Some nuttiness, too. 89\/100<\/p>\n

Almenkerk Sauvignon Blanc 2015 Elgin, South Africa<\/strong>
\nVery pure and slightly saline with taut, compact, pure fruit, a bit of passionfruit, and lovely acidity. There\u2019s pear, ripe apple and a hint of pithiness adding an extra dimension. Quite limey. 92\/100<\/p>\n

Almenkerk Chardonnay 2011 Elgin, South Africa<\/strong>
\nComplex and broad with nut, honey and pears. Ripe apples with some sweet vanilla notes, too. Attractive hints of fennel. 88\/100<\/p>\n

Almenkerk Chardonnay 2013 Elgin, South Africa (magnum)<\/strong>
\nTight and lemony with nice spiciness. Really nice reductive framing with textured apple and pear fruit. Lovely focus to this wine. 92\/100<\/p>\n

\"OLYMPUS<\/p>\n

Almenkerk Chardonnay 2014 Elgin, South Africa<\/strong>
\nTight, fresh and pithy. Nutty but still linear and bright with pure citrus fruit. Pear and white peach richer notes, with some oak hints. 90\/100<\/p>\n

Almenkerk Chardonnay 2015 Elgin, South Africa<\/strong>
\nLovely complex, mealy, spicy nose. Detailed citrus fruit palate with good acidity. Fresh and vital with high acidity. Spicy, lemony finish. 92\/100<\/p>\n

Almenkerk Syrah 2012 Elgin, South Africa<\/strong>
\nLively and fresh with nice black cherry and pepper. Bright and vivid with juicy black fruits and some good structure and weight. Grippy stuff with good acidity. 90\/100<\/p>\n

Almenkerk Merlot 2013 Elgin, South Africa<\/strong>
\nThe shoulders are removed from all the bunches and the canopies are opened out in order to get these grapes ripe. Lovely sweet, supple black fruits here with some herb and undergrowth notes. Supple palate has sweet black fruits. Really attractive with some gravel and grip. 90\/100<\/p>\n

Find these wines with wine-searcher.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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