The Keermont farm is situated in the beautiful Blaauwklippen Valley, otherwise known as Paradyskloof (Paradise Valley), which sits between the Helderberg and the Stellenbosch Mountain Range, in South Africa. At Keermont they work hard to protect this incredible environment, using less chemical fertilisers, fewer pesticides and little irrigation. They have over 100 ha dedicated to conservation and produce their wine in a sustainable manner.
Wine maker Alex Starey is a wonderul man. I sat next to him at lunch a few years ago and we talked about wine but mainly chatted about his family and surfing.
To showcase this outstanding producer, we are highlighting three of their stunning wines:
The backbone of this blend is Chenin blanc from a 46 year old, unirrigated vineyard. This is complemented by Chenin from two younger vineyards and smaller proportions of Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc and Viognier.
The grapes are crushed and spend a couple of hours on their skins before spontaneous fermentation occurs. The wine is left to mature on its lees, in seasoned oak casks, for ten to twelve months. It then matures in the bottle for six months to a year before release.
Yellow-gold in colour, this wine has an explosive bouquet of lime, apple, hazelnut and peach with notes of vanilla spice, crushed oyster shell and butterscotch. The palate is both weighty and vibrant with ripe apricot, peach and pear flavours and a touch of exotic sweet spice. A saline, mineral acidity gives the wine a succulent finish.
The red grapes spend two to three weeks in open-topped concrete and stainless steel fermentation tanks, with regular punch-downs. After fermentation, the wine is drained from the skins and the skins are loaded into a basket press and gently pressed to extract the last of the wine. The Merlot then spends a whopping 27 months maturing in seasoned French oak barrels before being bottled.
Ripe strawberry fruit, dried herbs, orange zest with undertones of cigar box and cinnamon. Soft chalky tannins and good natural acidity help to maintain a fresh elegance and a long, succulent dry finish.
The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes come from a very exposed, single vineyard plot located on a ridge 320m above sea level. It is a low yielding plot with small vines, producing a fine grained Cabernet. The clay soils translate to a wine with power, tension and fresh acidity. A small amount of other varietals are added to the Cabernet for complexity tannic structure. This wine undergoes a very similar process to the merlot and then spends 28 months maturing in seasoned French oak barriques and a further 12 months cellared in bottle.
A decadent wine with ripe red berry fruits, cassis, vanilla pudding, and a touch of forest floor. Subtle savory notes of chocolate and spice lend depth and mystery. A structured wine with gentle tannins, balancing natural acidity and a long finish.
We also have a few of the stunning 2016 magnums...
https://www.butlers-winecellar.co.uk/products/keermont-merlot-stellenbosch-2016-magnum
We think these wines are excellent and well worth checking out!!
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