Wine Cellar recently offered young winemakers the chance to win tickets to one of the greatest Burgundy tastings of the year – our Véronique Drouhin Dinner at La Mouette in Cape Town. In 250 to 300 words, winemakers (under 30) were asked to explain why they are so passionate about Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and to describe what makes the wines of Burgundy in particular so exceptional.
Congratulations to our winners, Philani Shongwe and Ryan Mostert, both of whom were able to ask Drouhin’s head winemaker as many questions as they liked.
Ryan’s winning entry is shown below.
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Along the road into the world of wine there is a point where we come to understand that wine is a great deal more than a mere beverage, that wine reflects (more accurately than anything else we can grow or cultivate on earth) the taste of time and a place, a taste impossible to replicate anywhere else. This is the pinnacle of wine.
This is what real wines are about, not economics, not trend, just a celebration of what nature has given us. For a winemaker the overarching goal is to be part of a process that captures a snapshot of a piece of earth of a growing year with absolute transparency, with accuracy. To through our work reflect the piece of ground with which we are privileged to work.
In South Africa precious few of us own the vineyards from which we make wine; we are a young culture in search of role models. Those of us that do own vineyards or make wine for a family estate are fairly young and new to the world of wine. We seek out role models, places to go and learn. If one’s goal is to make a technically perfect wine or maybe an economic powerhouse of a wine, a trophy wine, there are places to go learn these things. But if our goal is to celebrate a sense of place, celebrate the uniqueness of vineyards and make real wine, then all roads lead to Burgundy.
On no other patch of vineyard covered earth is the concept of cru more revered. A cult of soils, aspects, topographies, subtleties come together in vineyards that have been celebrated since the time of the Romans – that’s over 28 generations… Parcels so well demarcated and known that the owners of the land will come and go but these vineyards will live on well beyond the lifetimes of even our great, great, great grandchildren.
When I first tasted a real Burgundy (Domaine Levfaive Puligny Montrachet 2002), all of the above was the furthest thing from my mind; all that existed was what my senses were telling me. Vinous Nirvana. No-one needs to tell you that Burgundy is something special. It’s compelling from the very first sniff.
– Ryan Mostert
