Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
Beaumont's Hope Marguerite is always a stunner. The 2015 bottling opens with forward fynbos and baking-spice aromas that are supported by notes of red apple, orange blossom and fennel. The medium-weight mouthfeel boasts rich flavors of spiced citrus and apple pie, with waves of toasted spice and honeyed almond dancing through the long, evolving finish. It's a complex wine that should drink well through 2022.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Hope Marguerite Chenin Blanc is fermented and matured in barrel, the fruit from two vineyards planted in 1974 and 1978. It is matured in 50% new oak with seven grams per liter of residual sugar from barrels that did not ferment dry. It has an attractive bouquet of dried apricot and orange blossom, touches of honeysuckle and jasmine. The palate is well balanced with crisp acidity, notes of dried mango and honeycomb, dovetailing into light papaya and honeydew melon notes on the finish.
-
Wine & Spirits
Sebastian Beaumont selects this Chenin from the oldest vines at his family's Walker Bay estate, planted in 1974 and '78. He ferments it without added yeasts in 400-liter barrels, where it ages on the lees, developing a broad, cinnamon-and-graham-scented intensity. The flavors layer orange pith and ripe Bosc pear over earth tones, with a hint of sweetness in the finish. This is a rich white to pour with a seafood stew.
-
Wine Spectator
An alluring, rich style that starts off with warm piecrust and almond notes before the core Jonagold apple, heather, honeysuckle and shortbread flavors stream through. A lovely flicker of quinine keeps the toasted finish honest. Lots to like here. Chenin Blanc. Drink now through 2019.
Unquestionably one of the most diverse grape varieties, Chenin Blanc can do it all. It shines in every style from bone dry to unctuously sweet, oaked or unoaked, still or sparkling and even as the base for fortified wines and spirits. Perhaps Chenin Blanc’s greatest asset is its ever-present acidity, maintained even under warm growing conditions. Somm Secret—Landing in South Africa in the mid 1800s, today the country has double the acreage of Chenin Blanc planted compared to France. There is also a new wave of dedicated producers committed to restoring old Chenin vines.
With an important wine renaissance in full swing, impressive red and white bargains abound in South Africa. The country has a particularly long and rich history with winemaking, especially considering its status as part of the “New World.” In the mid-17th century, the lusciously sweet dessert wines of Constantia were highly prized by the European aristocracy. Since then, the South African wine industry has experienced some setbacks due to the phylloxera infestation of the late 1800s and political difficulties throughout the following century.
Today, however, South Africa is increasingly responsible for high-demand, high-quality wines—a blessing to put the country back on the international wine map. Wine production is mainly situated around Cape Town, where the climate is generally warm to hot. But the Benguela Current from Antarctica provides brisk ocean breezes necessary for steady ripening of grapes. Similarly, cooler, high-elevation vineyard sites throughout South Africa offer similar, favorable growing conditions.
South Africa’s wine zones are divided into region, then smaller districts and finally wards, but the country’s wine styles are differentiated more by grape variety than by region. Pinotage, a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault, is the country’s “signature” grape, responsible for red-fruit-driven, spicy, earthy reds. When Pinotage is blended with other red varieties, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah or Pinot Noir (all commonly vinified alone as well), it is often labeled as a “Cape Blend.” Chenin Blanc (locally known as “Steen”) dominates white wine production, with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc following close behind.