Description

Decanter voted this wine Best New World Red. Steven Spurrier described it as "Spicy, fruity, fleshy with a dry finish. Stunning!" Warm, dusky mulberry jam on the nose with plums and cherry notes exploding on the palate. There is good backbone and well-integrated oak which meld into a long finish. Very good indeed.

More information

Julien Schaal is from Alsace but he makes a regular foray to South Africa where he is producing some really excellent wine from the steep hillsides of the southerly cooler area of Hermanus (where you can go whale-watching!). The grapes are not certified organic but organic sprays and fertilizers are used. The grapes are hand-picked, fermented with their natural yeasts and the wine spends 12 months in 900 litre French oak vats before being bottled.

Julien's partners, Newton Johnson, are doing a lot to help their workers. They are paid 25% more than average and are receiving help to finance cars and houses, as well as attending courses on vineyard management in order to build their skills.

Julien has also personally helped a local winemaker, Jerome, to make his own wine, then liked it so much he bought it to blend into one of his own wines. Julien says "He is a really nice guy and quite smart, so last year he found a deal with a vinegrower from the valley to get 1 ton of Merlot almost for free. I helped him to make this wine at Newton Johnson, I gave him 3 barrels for the ageing. When I came back this year, I found his wine so good that I bought the 1 barrel for my blend Merlot Petit Verdot 2006. For sure it is a small part of my blend but I paid him a very fair price and that help him to keep going further."

Julien would prefer not to shout about this because he didn't do it for marketing purposes - nevertheless it is an illustration of some of the good things that are happening in South Africa at ground level which aren't certified Fairtrade but are following similar principles.