Country: | South Africa |
Region: | Swartland Region |
Winery: | Keermont Vineyards |
Grape Type: | Chenin Blanc |
Organic: | Yes |
Vintage: | 2013 |
Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
The Keermont Terrasse white blend derives its name from the terraced vineyards on Keermont. The backbone of this blend is Chenin Blanc from a 48 year old un-irrigated vineyard called 'Riverside' and this is complimented by Chenin from two younger vineyards and varying fractions of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier.
A polished light yellow gold color, this wine has a bouquet of citrus blossom with hazelnut, lemon grass and butterscotch undertones. The wine has a soft sweet entry with a racy linear acidity. Ripe citrus and stone fruit flavors evolve into a lovely lingering dry earthy finish. This is a textured white wine with layers of flavor.
Review:
"Terrasse is a seamless, skilfully blended cuvée of Chenin Blanc with 54% Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Roussanne, Viognier and Marsanne. Barrel-fermented and aged in older oak, it's floral, spicy and intense, marrying citrus, pear and clementine flavours and a touch of tannic grip. 2023-28"
- Tim Atkin (South Africa 2023 Report), 93 pts
Keermont Amphitheatre Red is made from 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc, 22% Merlot, 17% Petit Verdot, 5% Malbec and 1% Syrah.
Starting with the 2015 vintage, this new cuvée replaces the Keermont Estate Reserve. It is now the winery's flagship red blend. With this blend they aim to bring to life the nuances of both the terroir at Keermont Vineyards and the particularity of each vintage. Venetian red in color, this wine exudes complex aromas of dusty, ripe strawberry complimented by hints of baked pudding, vanilla, and sweet citrus blossom.
Review:
"The maiden 2015 Amphitheatre has an intense bouquet of dark cherries, star anise, camphor and wild heather scents, all well defined and expressive. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and fleshy ripe red fruit laced with white pepper and sage, fanning out wonderfully toward the finish. This is a beautiful maiden release, exuding breeding and class, from Alex Starey at Keermont. - Neal Martin"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (November 2021), 95 pts
Keermont Cabernet Sauvignon grows in Keermont's Cottage Lane Vineyard on the mid-slopes of the Helderberg. This vineyard is situated on the crest of a ridge (320m above sea level) so has aspects ranging from East through North to West. It is very exposed resulting in small vines with low yields. This has allowed to make a relatively fine grained Cabernet, but the clay soils translate to a wine with power, tension and fresh acidity. They blend in a couple of barrels of other varieties to add to the complexity of flavor and tannin structure.
All grapes used in producing the wines are grown on Keermont Vineyards. Most of the vineyard parcels grow on deep red clay rich soil derived from sandstone and granite and are surrounded by indigenous ‘fynbos’ vegetation. The vineyards are planted on steep mid-slopes high up in the valley between the Stellenbosch and Helderberg mountain ranges. Aspects vary from North East through North to West facing between 250 and 400 meters above sea level.
Dark ruby red in color, this is quite a serious vintage with a complex bouquet of ripe red berry fruit, cedarwood, and typical ‘fynbos’ flowers. The palate is full bodied, but gentle. Tannin structure is full and dense and coats the palate while the natural acidity keeps the ripe fruit in check. Savory notes of tomato paste and cloves add character to the bright red strawberry and cassis flavors which linger into a long, tight finish. Drink 2020 – 2035.
Review:
"Something of a crowd pleaser from Alex Starey, this is a comparatively forward cuvée of Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc. Supple, ripe and perfumed, it combines fynbos and dried herb aromas, fig and mulberry flavours, supple tannins and plenty of body and alcohol. 2023-29"
- Tim Atkin (South Africa 2023 Report), 91 pts
Graviere La Rouge Cuvee les Terrasses is made of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon
Deep red color with a narrow purple rim. Attractive aromas of ripe, juicy cherry and blackberry over spice, integrated toasted aromas. The palate is balanced and full-bodied with supple tannins, displaying rich cherry flavors combined with gentle toasting characters and a touch of spice. The finish is lasting with a bitter almond aftertaste.
Average age of the vines is 25 years.
Manual harvest from September 21th to October 7th 2015.
Upon arrival at the winery, only the best grapes were selected using a sorting table.
Skin contact maceration during 2 weeks in temperature controlled vats.
75% of the final wine was aged in stainless steel tanks with French oak staves and blended with 25% of wine aged in barrels.
Serve with red, white meats, poultry and fine cheeses.
Review:
"Still young and showing its wood aging, this wine has great potential. With ripe tannins, spice and generous red fruits, this Merlot-dominated wine is structured while also richly fruity. Drink from 2022. - ROGER VOSS"
- Wine Enthusiast (December 2018, Best of Year 2018 Issue), 91 pts
Graviere La Rouge Cuvee les Terrasses is made of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon
Deep red color with a narrow purple rim. Attractive aromas of ripe, juicy cherry and blackberry over spice, integrated toasted aromas. The palate is balanced and full-bodied with supple tannins, displaying rich cherry flavors combined with gentle toasting characters and a touch of spice. The finish is lasting with a bitter almond aftertaste.
Average age of the vines is 25 years.
Manual harvest from September 21th to October 7th 2015.
Upon arrival at the winery, only the best grapes were selected using a sorting table.
Skin contact maceration during 2 weeks in temperature controlled vats.
75% of the final wine was aged in stainless steel tanks with French oak staves and blended with 25% of wine aged in barrels.
Serve with red, white meats, poultry and fine cheeses.
The Stone Corral Vineyard is planted on a southeast slope on the west side of the Edna Valley which has an east/west orientation opening up to the Pacific Ocean from Morro Bay and Pismo Beach. Approximately 120 to 300 feet above sea level, the climate is strongly influenced by the ocean providing ideal temperate growing conditions for Pinot Noir. Early spring warming, mild summer temperatures and late arriving cold fall temperatures and rain provide a long growing season for the development of rich color, concentrated and complex flavors. Soil profiles vary between blocks from sand, sandy loam, loamy sand, pebbly sandy clay loam, all fine angular blocky , including decomposing sandstone layers and numerous fossil rocks. The soils are well drained and marine in origin, resulting in an elegant Pinot Noir with extraordinary attributes.
This gem is a blend of a few precious, select barrels hailing from the finest blocks of Stone Corral Vineyard. Offers blue-toned fruit on the nose and a pretty bouquet of black raspberry, sandstone, marzipan and wild lupine flowers. Opulent, yet delicate on the palate, with velvety layers of cola nut, cherry, dried herbs and pecan sandie cookies.
Wine analysis – 13.7% Alcohol, .69 TA, 3.5pH
- A barrel select Stone Corral Vineyard bottling, utilizing the finest blocks and clones of the 2013 vintage
- Blend of clones 115, 777 and 667 on 101-14 and 3309 rootstalks
- Hand harvested, cold fruit from night picks during the month of September 2013
- Yield about 2 tons per acre between 23.8 and 24.5 ° Brix
- Destemmed with nearly 100 % whole berries remaining
- Fermented in small open top tanks
- 4 day cold soak, average 14 day fermentation, peak temperature 83°
- Hand punched down several times daily as needed
- Pressed off just dry, tank settled then racked to barrels
- Aged in small French oak barrels for 18 months
- Once the fresh wine is transferred from the press pan, all moving of the wine is done with inert gas pressure.
When handling the wine, care is taken at all opportunities to avoid shear.
"This bottling comes from the best blocks and barrels from this single vineyard, co-owned by a number of Edna Valley luminaries. The result is stunning, with baked raspberry, strawberry, maple, and peppery bacon aromas comprising a spicy, exotic nose. Black plum fruit melds with white pepper and crushed herbs, diving into tangy strawberry and sandalwood incense notes on the finish. - Matt Kettmann"
- Wine Enthusiast Magazine (April 1st 2017), 95 pts
Keermont White Blend Terrasse 2013 is mafe from 67% Chenin Blanc (25% Riverside parcel - 42% Low Road Parcel), 17% Chardonnay (Low Road Parcel), 9% Viognier (Cottage Lane parcel) and 7% Sauvignon Blanc (Uitkyk parcel)
A polished light yellow, gold colour. Aromas develop from spicy floral notes to hazelnut, lemon grass and rye with butterscotch undertones. The wine has a soft sweet entry with ripe citrus and vanilla flavours evolving into a lovely long, dry, earthy finish. Drink 2015-2022.
Review
"Alex Starey's white blend is a four-way assemblage between mostly Chenin, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, with a splash of Viognier for perfume. Wild yeast fermented in old oak, it's a complex, savoury white with some grape skin tannins, pithy acidity, apple and stone fruit flavours and a touch of glycerol sweetness. Drink: 2014-17"
- Tim Atkin Master Wine (August 2014), 94 pts
"Keermont's 2014 White Blend Terrasse is 65% Chenin Blanc, 13% Chardonnay, 17% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Viognier, fermented in French oak barrels and matured for 12 months on the lees, with a small part in stainless steel. Here we have a different set of aromatics to the 2010 and 2011. It is more tensile than I recollect previous vintages at this stage - orange blossom, touch of tangerine and honeysuckle. The palate is class, pure class. Winemaker Alex Starey has nailed the acidity here and imparted wonderful tension and poise. This is one of the purest "Terrasse" that I have encountered at this earlier stage and it will be a job to see how this develops in bottle. - Neal Martin"
- Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (November 2015), 93 pts
The Keermont Estate and Vineyards
Located just beyond Stellenbosch, Keermont Vineyards is nestled in farm land in the beautiful valleys of South Africa. Keermont uses their name to honor the former farm, Keerweder, that once occupied their land. The word “keerweder” means a dead end in a valley. The literal translation is “blocked again”, which is in reference to the early settlers being blocked by the terrain when trying to pass through the valley.
The Keermont winery building and vineyards actually lie in the shadow of Guardian Peak, or “Suurberg”. This location is ideal for Keermont, as the fruit on this mountain is often compared to the grapes of Napa Valley’s famous Howell Mountain AVA.
In 1694, Jan Jac Van Dyk founded the land in the Blaawklippen Valley that is the location of present day Keermont. Other wineries such as Waterford, Dornier, and Stellenzicht are also on the land once owned by Van Dyk. The earliest account of a European landowner utilizing the area for agricultural use are Van Dyk’s records. Afterwards, the potential and beauty of the Blaawklippen Valley attracted many other landowners to the area and the land was divided into individual farms.
Mark and Monica Wraith bought into this land by purchasing the Fleurfontein and Keerweder III farms in 2003. They combined the two farms into the Keermont Vineyards Estate. The couple still live on the Keermont land with their family. Alex Starey is the Keermont winemaker. In 2005, Keermont began a major vineyard planting program and it now holds 27 ha under vine. In 2007, Keermont releases its first vintage, from a crop of only 5 barrels or 108 cases. In 2010, the physical Keermont winery building, complete with offices, processing facilities, barrel rooms, and a tasting room, was converted from the former spring water bottling plant that had once resided on the Fleurfontein farm. The total farm acreage for Keermont Vineyards is 157 hectares or 388 acres, with 27 hectares under vine. 18 hectares produce red varietals such as Cabernet Savignon, Merlot, and Syrah. 9 hectares hold the white varietals like Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, and Viognier. Keermont also boasts Chenin Blanc vines that are over forty years old and used by De Trafford winery. Keermont aims to create wines that reflect their beautiful land and the particular year’s vintage condition. Keermont focuses on using minimal chemical fertilizers, few pesticides, and irrigate as little as possible. No fining or filtration is practiced on the Keermont Estate. Keermont desires a natural, harmonious vineyard that will in the long run produce better quality wines.
The goal of this estate is to make superior blends. The wines to be produced, but not written in stone, are:
Keermont Red – 40 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 20% Syrah.
Keermont White – 70% Chenin Blanc, 30% Viognier and Chardonnay
Dessert wine in exceptional vintages
Keermont Syrah – Syrah, Mourvedre, Viognier
Some wines from Keermont Winery:
Any Keermont wines we have in stock are listed below, if you don’t see the wine you are looking for please don’t hesitate to ask for it.
DuMOL Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100 percent Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Our 2016 Napa Valley Cabernet is a classically built wine typical of this wonderful Napa vintage: deep fruit, enveloping texture, mineral freshness and long supple structure. It’s a harmonious interweaving of four distinct vineyards that intricately balances power and finesse.
With its exceptional farming and rocky volcanic soil, Meteor Vineyard is one of the finest sites in Coombsville. Its fruit dominates the blend and ensures both intensity and delicacy, with soaring aromatics followed by succulent dark fruit.
True Dog Knoll serves as a new focal point in this vintage, its world-renowned west Oakville deep gravel soils bringing deep texture and mineral focus.
Layering in a small amount of Petit Verdot from our Roach Estate in St. Helena provides an element of blue fruit and refinement that balances beautifully with the darker brooding power of Ballard Vineyard’s mountaintop muscle and structure.
With its harmonious layers and textures, this wine reminds me of the 2012 Napa Valley vintage. Dark, inky and opaque, it presents aromas of plum, violets and graphite. Beautiful fruit cascades almost immediately to more savory flavors: crushed rock dustiness, cocoa and cedar. A good, firm mineral spine runs through to the long, bittersweet finish. Ever-evolving in the glass, this wine is poised now and will age beautifully over the next 10+ years.
Review:
A ripe, friendly style, with a creamy-textured core of cassis and cherry preserve flavors underscored by anise and apple wood notes that stay nicely
melded with the fruit on the finish. There’s a lingering cast iron note keeping this grounded.
-Wine Spectator 93 Points
Luis Canas Reserva Seleccion de la Familia Rioja is made from 85% Tempranillo and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon
Aged for 20 months in new oak barrels - 50% French 50% American.
45 years old vines
Alcohol: 14,5º
Total acidity: 5,73 g./l.
Volatile acidity: 0,73 g./l.
PH: 3,53
Free SO2: 28 mg./l.
Reducing sugars: 1,3 g./l.
The “family reserve” from one of Rioja Alavesa’s most enduring family-run wineries. Wines destined to be the Reserva de la Familia label are made from a selection of grapes from old vines, those which combine a series of characteristics such as good orientation and exposure to the sun, and a poor soil which ensures low yields.
This wine is one of very few Rioja wines to blend Cabernet Sauvignon with Tempranillo. Bodegas Luis Cañas was granted permission by the D.O.Ca. to plant this variety as an experiment in the early 1980s.
Tasting notes
A brilliant garnet color with cherry hints on the edges.
The nose offers a complex variety of aromas that combine to bring an intense and sophisticated wine. Initially we can find very ripe berry fruits, smoky notes, raisins and liquor. After a certain amount of aeration, the cinnamon and jam notes appear and, with a little more time, the roasted and spiced aromas are noticed more clearly.
The palate is full, with a good presence of tannins, although these are offset by the glycerine like character, resulting in a fleshy sensation. Long lasting and lingering finish.
Winemaking and aging:
The grapes were cold macerated for 72 hours upon arrival at the winery. They underwent fermentation at 26º C in sealed cement tanks under constant thermal control, with the must pumped over daily. With the paste devatted by gravity, spontaneous malolactic fermentation took place after 45 days.
The wine was aged for 20 months in 50% medium toasted American and 50% French oak barrels. The barrel ageing not only adds tannins from the wood, but stabilizes the wine naturally. After the final racking, it was clarified in tanks with a small amount of natural egg white, decanted after 30 days and bottled directly without any type of filtration. Because this wine’s evolutionary cycle is quite slow, only corks of the highest quality available were used to ensure that it could be prolonged for several years.