After my crushing defeat following my second attempt at the Master exam, I embarked on something of a vision quest to South Africa. I had intensely studied the region and had been inspired by the history and constantly evolving influences in the re-emerging, bustling wine scene. I will admit, nothing prepared me for the life-changing experience that brought this singular region and its wines to life.
During my travels, I had the pleasure of meeting Adi Badenhorst, who is without question one of the most well-known wine personalities in South Africa. His long, Viking-like blonde hair and kindred spirit engrave an impression that never leaves. His wines more than live up to that same energetic life force and charismatic personality in the glass. Derived from 70-year-old, dry-farmed bush vines in the Swartland district, the 2014 Ramnasgras Red represents perhaps the most charming wine I have ever tasted from South Africa. Its clear, balanced form and an aromatic perfume are akin to great Burgundy coupled with mature Côte-Rotie. I opened this exact wine for a group of Master Sommeliers a few weeks back, and it was quickly the first wine gone amongst a table of serious Burgundies and decade-old Clos Rougeard. This wine exceeds our credo of price-to-quality and delivers a wholly unique and addictive taste experience you will crave again and again.
The Viking of the vines himself, Andre Adriaan “Adi” Badenhorst, hails from an impressive line of vignerons. For 46 years, his grandfather was the farm manager of Groot Constantia, which is the oldest wine estate in South Africa and was the source of Napoleon’s favorite dessert wine. Adi was raised in the vines and made his first wine at the tender age of thirteen. After his formal wine education, Adi worked at some of the most celebrated names in the northern Rhone, New Zealand, and South Africa, then served for nine years as winemaker at the famed Rustenberg Estate in Stellenbosch. In 2008, he finally set up his own shop with his cousin, Hein, on the slopes of Paardeberg. An off-the-beaten-path appellation that separates Paarl and Swartland, Paardeberg combines warm days and cool nights with some of the highest elevation vineyards in the greater Swartland district. Although South African reds have been historically coined as funky, animalistic and overtly rustic, a new generation of serious winemakers have tightened the reins and cleaned up cellars to reveal the true personality, purity and incredible potential of South African wines as world-class examples. Adi has been at the helm of this movement in Swartland as a founding member of Swartland Revolution as well as Swartland Independent, serving to reveal the terroir’s potential in a pure and traditional translation of place.
Adi and Hein’s vineyards on their Kalmoesfontein Farm are dry-farmed and tended with biological principles. The Ramnasgras Red is an inspired bottle of Cinsault that is derived from 70-year-old bush vines rooted in complex granite soils. The fruit is whole-bunch fermented in open wooden kuipe and concrete tanks. Post-fermentation maceration can take up to four months, then is followed up with aging in cask and 4000-liter foudres. This wine is natural—there are no artificial enzymes, additives or synthetic yeasts added to it. It’s as pure as the grapes on the vine save for minimal necessary sulfur. The result would fool any blind taster into believing it hailed from some of the most hallowed ground in France, and for a stunningly modest price tag.
The 2014 Ramnasgras Red displays a highly reflective crimson red core with light garnet reflections on the rim. The pristine and beautifully perfumed nose is akin to great Burgundy with aromas of cherry blossom, wet rose petal, violet, dried black cherry, and a touch of wild strawberry infused with white tea, dried clay, a kiss of mushroom powder, and an enchanting perfumed aromatic display that is almost impossible to put into words. The wine’s entry on the palate is soft and silky then expands into a sensation of beautiful texture and richness that is simultaneously velveteen and refreshing. Flavors of sweet cherry, strawberry, redcurrant and goji berry intertwine with notes of wet roses and a hint of exotic spices that is equally quaffable and thought provoking. This wine will disappear before your very eyes – so I recommend having a few bottles on hand when serving to a tableful of more than 4. Trust me; it will go fast. This incredible red is stunning now and primed to enjoy, although another 5-10 years will have even more sensory treasures in store. Although it is seemingly impossible to deny the beauty of its youth, I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this wine. To enjoy, simply decant for 30 minutes and serve in Burgundy stems between 60-65 degrees. A charmer with braised lamb or even roast chicken, this wine will steal your heart with Thomas Keller’s duck confit.
