Every Tuesday OpenWine hosts a different wine estate in offering a wine tasting in its Wale Street tasting facility, a concise one hour experience led by a representative of the wine estate.Charles Pohl heads up Sales & Marketing at Rust en Vrede, and is its Brand Ambassador. He told me that he previously was the assistant Sommelier to Neil Grant when he was the Rust en Vrede Sommelier.  The 55ha wine estate was established by Willem Adrian van Der Stel in 1694, and previously was known for its white wines, including Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. When Jannie Engelbrecht bought the farm in 1977, he removed all the white vines, and planted only Syrah, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon, producing wines from these three red cultivars since 1978.  The farm now has 60% of its vines as Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Syrah, and 10% Merlot. Its Cellar was built in 1785. Jean Engelbrecht now heads up the wine estate. Only 20000 cases of wine are produced per year, the website informs, of which half is exported to thirty countries. 

The Rust en Vrede vines face north, Charles said, and get additional sun in the afternoon. Its koffieklip soil holds both water and heat, reflecting the importance of terroir. He told us that Rust en Vrede can call its wines ‘estate‘ as all the grapes come from the wine estate. 

Rust en Vrede makes a number of wines, including The Stellenbosch Estate, CIRRUS, Donkiesbaai, and Guardian Peak. We tasted five wines, two The Stellenbosch Reserve and three Rust en Vrede.  

1.   The Stellenbosch Reserve Moederkerk Chardonnay 2016

Twelve years ago a wine brand Stellenbosch Ridge, and since 2008 renamed The Stellenbosch Reserve, was created, to pay homage to Stellenbosch and all that it embodies. The cultivars are linked to Stellenbosch icons, such as the Moederkerk, Ou Hoofgebou, Kweekskool, and Vanderstel.

Charles told us that The Stellenbosch Reserve Chardonnay is made at Guardian Peak, with grapes bought in from the Simonsberg. The grapes give a lot of fruit, and expression of flavours. The wine has a good balance of fruit, oak, and acidity. It is the third vintage of the Chardonnay, a buttery and creamy wine. The wine has 14,5% alcohol. It costs R125. 

2.   The Stellenbosch Reserve Kweekskool Merlot 2015

Grapes from the Simonsberg and the Helderberg are used to make the Merlot, which has a mocha/coffee taste. It is a light drinking wine, with fruit tannins outweighing wood tannins. The alcohol content is 14,5%, and the wine costs R125. 

3.   Rust en Vrede Syrah 2014

The wine has 14,5% alcohol, and is sold at R270. This was my personal favorite of the five wines we tasted. The Rust en Vrede wines differ from The Stellenbosch Reserve, in that the former get more sun being on the northern slopes, the vines produce small berries, and the wine tastes richer and creamier.

The wine has cherries, cocoa bean, and violet on the palate, with earthiness. It is a big, bold, and elegant wine, Charles said, although initially shy on the nose. 

4.   Rust en Vrede Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

One of the attendees commented on Charles smelling the cork whilst opening a bottle of wine, and he explained that he does so to test if the wine is corked. He said that the wine has a hint of green, but is a big, bold, and ripe wine, coming from 60% of the wine being matured in French oak and the balance in stainless steel tanks. The alcohol content is 14,5%. The wine costs R280. 

5.   Rust en Vrede Estate 2014

This Estate wine is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Syrah, and 7% Merlot. It is the flagship wine of Rust en Vrede, and is smooth and spicy. Sixty percent of the wine is matured in French oak, and 40% in stainless steel tanks. The wine has 14,5% alcohol, and costs R450. 

I asked Charles why this wine is so much more expensive than the others. He told me that they use new French oak barrels to mature the wine, each barrel costing R15000. It is also more labour intensive. 

Charles is a very approachable and informative brand ambassador for Rust en Vrede. He was assisted in pouring the wines by new OpenWine staff member Ernst Botes. 

Wines in the Rust en Vrede range are Rust en Vrede 1694 Classification, Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Single Vineyard Syrah, Rust en Vrede Estate, Estate Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Estate Vineyards Syrah, and Estate Vineyards Merlot. 

Rust en Vrede, Annandale Road, Stellenbosch. Tel (021) 881-3881/881-3899 www.rustenvrede.com www.thestellenboschreserve.com Twitter: @Rustenvrede1694 @ TheStellReserve Instagram: @rustenvredeestate Mondays – Saturdays 9h00 – 17h00

OpenWine, 72 Wale Street, Cape Town. Tel (021) 422-0800. www.openwine.co.za Twitter: @OpenWineZA Instagram: @openwine_za

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.chrisvonulmenstein.com/blog Tel +27 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@Ulmenstein Facebook: click here Instagram: @Chris_Ulmenstein