Rietvallei Wine Estate between Robertson and Ashton is one of South Africa’s oldest family-owned wine estates. It has been in the Burger family since 1864 when Alewyn Burger bought it for his son Jacobus François (Koos) who went on to become a pioneering wine farmer in the Klaas Voogds Valley.
Today, Koos’ descendant Kobus is still picking the fruit of his ancestor’s work – quite literally! The block of bush vine Muscadel (Muscat de Frontignan) that ancestor Koos planted in 1908 is still there. The quarter hectare of gnarly bush vines, the oldest of their kind in the country, are still producing the precious fruit for the estate’s much-awarded 1908 Muscadel.
Muscat de Frontignan probably arrived in the Cape from France during the eighteenth century and was used to produce the acclaimed Vin de Constance. Originally it is from Greece though and was spread through Italy, France and beyond by the Romans. It’s therefore not surprising that it is known by quite a few names. Moscato bianco, Muscat blanc, Muscat Canelli, Muscat de Frontignan, Muscat de Lunel, Muscat d’Alsace, Muskateller, Moscatel de Grano Menudo, Moscatel rosé and Sárgamuskotály, to name some. One of the French names – Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains – derives from its typically small berry size and tight clusters.
Muscat de Frontignan is technically a white grape, but there are mutated vines that produce darker pink and red berries. Similar to some old vine Semillon, a vine can produce different colour berries in different years. This phenomenon seems most common in South Africa and Australia. Sometimes the colour variation remains stable. The vines are then often classified as separate varieties – Muscat Rose à Petit Grains for vines with pink grapes and Muscat Rouge à Petit Grains for vines with red grapes.
This wine is still made using the Burger family’s generations-old recipe. Harvesting took place at 28 °Balling where after the grapes were slightly crushed before going into the fermentation tanks. It was kept on the skins for two days and regularly pumped over until it started naturally fermenting on the third day. The free-run juice was racked and the mash lightly pressed before it was fortified with pure wine spirits. After fortification, the wine was left on its lees for six months before being racked again into old 500-litre French oak barrels. A further 17 months of maturation on the fine lees allowed the spirits and wine to integrate.
The wine is red and full-bodied with a bouquet of flowers and dried fruit. Typical raisin sweetness dominates the palate and aftertaste with the sweetness well balanced by the acidity. It is a great companion to anything sweet or cheesy, from strawberries & ice cream to cheese soufflé. Also great on its own in front of a fire or under a blanket – if your significant other allows it!
Alcohol 15.28 % vol | Residual Sugar 171.5 g/l | Total Acid 4.4 g/l | PH 3.54 |
www.rietvallei.co.za | +27 (0)23 626 3596
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