‘Excellence‘ is a word that forms part of the Graham Beck Wines’ pay-off line ‘The Origin of Excellence’ for its Still Wines range, and the company is true to its promise, in that its wine making as well as marketing activities attest to this.  While the ultra premium wine range is dedicated to the founder of the company, the late Mr Graham Beck, it also is a tribute to the fine wine making skills of the Still Wine Cellarmaster Erika Obermeyer, and the Marketing team’s excellent quality presentation of its wines, demonstrated in a series of three functions they had organised last week with the most perfect summer weather (in the middle of winter). The tastings were once again held at the Camps Bay Retreat, a magnificent location overlooking the waves crashing at Glen Beach.  The company has an incredible knack of choosing excellent weather days for its functions!

To know Erika is to know her wines, and while she comes across as a soft and gentle ambassador for her product range consisting of  The Game Reserve and Ad Honorem, she is a serious focused winemaker with depth, complexity, and elegance, just like some of her wines!  She is a good speaker, and speaks calmly and passionately about each of her special wines, almost like each is a special child with unique qualities, and of which she is proud, in having given ‘birth’ to each one of them!  She has been at Graham Beck Wines since 2005, starting two days before the harvest, a time she remembers well.  She made white wines in her first year, and added the red wine portfolio in the year thereafter.  She grew up in Sutherland, wanting to be a GP, but switched to winemaking after one year, wanting to ‘cure people‘ in a different manner, she said laughingly!  She shared how good her nose was at the age of 2 years already, and how she has smells in her memory.  She loves her two German Pointers, who live with her on one of the two Firgrove farms.

The company owns two winefarms in Firgrove and one in Robertson, from which she sources her grapes.  Erika took us through the eight wines in the Ad Honorem range,   She shared that Mr Beck’s philosophy was ‘As long as you are happy‘, and she described herself as a happy winemaker.  Consistency in producing wines of the same quality year after year is very important, and she listens to her vineyards, which tell her when they are ready to be harvested.  Terroir is less important for Erika, saying that she is ‘not dogmatic’ about it, the ‘flavour profile’ being more important.  The Ad Honorem range consists of the following wines:

*   Pheasant’s Run Sauvignon Blanc 2012 –  this wine is potent and concentrated, made from a ‘gut feel grape‘, which is ‘not analysis driven‘, Erika explained.  She tastes her grapes every day to check when they are ready for harvest, fully ripened, and offering 13,5 – 14% alcohol. The grapes now come from a single vineyard on Groenekloof in Darling, having originally come from Fisantekraal in Durbanville, after which the wine was named. The new location is aging better and offering a cooler climate.  She explained that she has toned down the flavour profile, making it ‘expressive and aromatic‘.  She switched the source of her grapes as the acidity and expressiveness were declining over time, and now gets greener tropical flavours.  The wine has notes of gooseberry and minerality.  Platter 5*,  Cost R170.

*   Bowed Head Chenin Blanc 2011 –  she uses ‘clean fresh juice’, and the harshness goes with long settling. The wine goes into 400 litre French oak barrels for nine months, but the oak flavours do not come through, the wine flavours being ‘voluptuous’, and giving her a ‘hot cross bun coming out of the oven moment’, with nutty, creamy, orange rind, and raisin flavours.  The price is lower than the Sauvignon Blanc, reflecting that  international and local wine drinkers still do not equate the quality of these two cultivars nor pay the same price for them.  However, increasingly good results for Chenin Blanc will help to close the gap, and to increase prices over time.  Chenins are not exported in bulk, but are added to cheaper wines. Chenin Blanc producers are working together to turn around the negative image of this cultivar, when it was originally called ‘Steen‘. She uses grapes from 44 and 50 year old vines.  Aromatics, elegance, and mouthfeel are the foundation of the wine.  Cost R120.

*   The Ridge Syrah 2011 – Mr Beck loved Shiraz, and it is 26% of the company’s grape harvest.  Grapes come from a single vineyard on the ridge on the slope of the Rooiberg on the company’s Madeba farm in Robertson, and gives lavender and Karoo bossie notes.  The difference in the day time and night time temperatures suits Shiraz. Ancient shale soil. The 2011 vintage may be better than the already acclaimed 2009, which was rated the best in 15 years, giving elegant, pungent, soft, and concentrated flavours.  Cost R210.

*   The Joshua 2011 – this Shiraz (94%) and Viognier (6%) blend carries Mr Beck’s second name.  Grapes come from their Firgrove farm, grown in ancient old coffeestone soils. It is balanced, fresh, and grapes are harvested on the ‘right’ day, Erika ensuring that they are not picked overripe.  Matured for 15 months in oak barrels.  Flavours of cranberry and white pepper.  The Viognier softens the tannins. Cost R210.

*   The William 2009 – this blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Pinotage, 5% Shiraz, and 4% Cabernet Franc is named after Mr Beck’s 18 year old and oldest grandson, and the character of the wine resembles that of the young man.  The Pinotage tones down the structure of the Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a spicy nose, with vanilla, and plums.  The Cabernet Franc brings out floralness.  It is good to drink with pizza, a braai, venison, and ostrich.   Cost R130.

*   The Coffeestone Cabernet 2011 – this Cabernet Sauvignon is named after the soil type in which the grapes grow in Firgrove, and has nothing to do with the trend to coffee flavoured wines.  It is Erika’s favourite wine. She suggests ageing it up to 20 years.  It gives tobacco and berry notes.  It is matured for 22 – 24 months in French oak barrels, and can be drunk with powerful food, and pairs well with chocolate.  There is minerality, and the wine has a fresh perfume. Cost R190.

*   Ad Honorem 2009 – this wine is the pinnacle of the range, and is the way in which the company keeps the legacy of Mr Beck alive.  The 2007 vintage was the first to be released, in 2010 just a few months after the passing of Mr Beck.  The wine will only be made in excellent vintages, and is a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon (giving earthiness) and 28% Shiraz (giving sweetness). 100% matured in new fill French oak barrels for 27 months. Platter 5 *,  Cost R680.

*   Rhona Muscadel 2012 – is named in honour of Mrs Beck and pays tribute to her green gardening fingers. It is made from Muscat de Frontignan grapes coming from old vineyards in Montagu, to which neutral grape spirit is added before storing it in a stainless steel tank.  It is delicate and perfumy, with 166 g per litre residual sugar. Cost of 500 ml bottle R70.

We moved to the dining room for our lunch, which was meant to offer us fireside warmth, but was not needed on the warm day.  The room has old-world charm, and was the perfect size  for our group of 14 guests, with a glass window which allows one to look into the kitchen to see Chef Sarah Oldridge and her Pastry Chef Lindi Kriel.  Etienne Heyns,  Graham Beck Wines Marketing and Sales Manager, thanked the writers for their feedback, attendance, and even criticism, his Brand Ambassadors Chloë and Carey, Rocco who supports Erika, Wines of South Africa (WOSA, represented by Andre Morgenthal) which assists the country’s winemakers in marketing support for their wine exports generically. Exports make up 65% of the Graham Beck sales,  Camps Bay Retreat, and Waterford Communications for its good work.

On arrival we were served colourful Caprese tartlets, as well as beetroot cured salmon crostini with dill crème fraîche, with the welcome drink of Graham Beck Blanc de Blancs 2008, drunk by Presidents and royals!

Our first course was Butternut ravioli with sage and walnut beurre noir (brown melted butter), which was paired with Graham Beck Bowed Head Chenin Blanc 2011.  The second course was a beautifully presented elegant Pork belly with smoked apple butter and twisted crackling shards, making this dish look like a gift.   This dish was paired with Graham Beck The William 2009 and The Ridge Syrah 2011.

The main course was a pepper crusted fillet served with a mushroom jus and truffle frites. Bowls of herb and parmesan shaving salad, and of roasted vegetables with feta and drizzled with a balsamic reduction were brought to the table to be shared, and were served with Graham Beck Coffeestone Cabernet 2011 and The Joshua 2011.  The dessert was an unusual Caramel macadamia cheese cake served with salted caramel ice cream, paired with Graham Beck Rhona Muscadel 2012, and a nice frothy cappuccino.  As if we did not already enjoy enough to eat, a plate of beautiful macaroons topped with lavender was brought to the table, to be enjoyed with the coffee.

We had a most enjoyable afternoon at the Camps Bay Retreat with the lovely staff of Graham Beck Wines and other writers, celebrating the excellence, elegance, and soul of Erika’s wines, and the late founder of the Graham Beck Wines company.

Disclosure :   We received a bottle of the Graham Beck Ad Honorem 2009, with a plain white label but embossed with Mr Beck’s initials, packaged in a beautiful white presentation pack, with our media pack.

Graham Beck Wines,  Robertson (Tasting Room) and Franschhoek (Marketing & Sales).  Tel (021)  874-1258/(023) 626-1214 www.grahambeckwines.com  Twitter: @GrahamBeckWines

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com   Twitter: @WhaleCottage