Maturing ridgebacks and Chardonnay

’Nache, the four-month-old Rhodesian ridgeback puppy had a fine time, gambolling around and chewing on any hands with needle-sharp teeth – and tugging at the odd denim trouser leg when the hands were withdrawn after too enthusiastic a gnaw… His full name is Grenache – and he’s the newest addition to the Waterford pack, joining the long-suffering Nilo (short for Tempranillo…). The occasion was a vertical tasting of five vintages of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon at Stellenbosch’s Waterford Estate – and it’s the Estate association of which co-owner and cellarmaster Kevin Arnold is so proud.

He believes in the footprint of place and reflecting what the combination of soil, climate and vine can provide. “It’s not about the winemaker or his what he believes the wine should be like. Ego needs to take a back step,” he said, something that was very evident in the wines – which included three vintages of The Jem, the red blend which Arnold believes is the ultimate expression of Waterford and the 11 grapes cultivated on its Helderberg slopes.

Just as Nilo has calmed down and matured, putting puppyish antics aside in favour of chilling and gazing at the wine world with experienced eyes, so the winemaking team at Waterford has learned over the years. Arnold’s exhortation to put ego aside is the voice of experience. “As young winemakers we never knew about Chardonnay locally. It only became part of the scene in South Africa in the 80’s.” His learning curve was courtesy of stints in California and Burgundy – and he references the latter more than the former, preferring classicism, elegance and refinement rather than overt fruit expression and whacking gobs of wood.

“There’s a lot of talk in South Africa at present about Sauvignon Blanc hitting its straps and Chenin Blanc really doing well – but Chardonnay is still the queen.” His mantra is ‘less is more’ – and respect. “Respect the soil, respect the age of vine, respect the fruit and back off as a winemaker. It’s not about your ego or the amount of oak. Use less wood, use older wood for shorter periods. Don’t acidify.”

And on the latter point he made the admission that he was guilty of making wines where the acid will never integrate with the fruit. “I was at a tasting in Pretoria where we had a 1989 Rust en Vrede which I’d made – and the first thing that hit me was the acidity.” He was adamant from day one when Waterford began in 1998 that acidification was a no-no. And as a consequence malolactic fermentation is also avoided. Winemaker Mark le Roux concedes that if it happens spontaneously in one or two barrels, they’re OK with that but they prefer to retain as much of the natural acidity in their wines – not just Chardonnay – as possible.

The proof of the pudding was not just in the eating – but very obvious to see in the glass. One would normally anticipate that a five-year old oaked South African Chardonnay would display deep yellow gold colour. Not so the 2008 Waterford which showed distinct vibrant green hues – and a liveliness on the palate as well, a freshness which runs through all the wines. Le Roux revealed that a move was made towards larger format oak barrels – 500l – in 2009. “That, along with our belief in using more second- and third-fill barrels, is what ensures that the wood is less dominant and overtly toasty and oaky.”

South African Chardonnay from the 80’s and 90’s was a bit like Nache – full of enthusiasm, experiencing things for the first time and wanting to do everything all at once. Entirely understandable too, since it’s all part of the learning process. Like Nilo, Waterford and its winemaking team have learned a trick or two, and are making the most of all the experience they’ve gained over the years – from wise heads such as Kevin Arnold’s – and the results speak for themselves in wines of elegance, refinement, freshness and with a sense of place.

SAWIS records indicate no chardonnay plantings in 1981. 10 years later in 1991, chardonnay accounted for 1,8% of plantings and in 2001, 5,6%. In 2011 the plantings accounted for 8092 hectares, or 8%.

– Fiona McDonald