When Dutch settlers first arrived in South Africa over three centuries in the past, they had been happy to seek out native grape vines rising wild within the Western Cape. They had been much less impressed with the wines they produced, nevertheless, so European vines had been quickly imported. These plantings made South Africa the primary ‘New World’ nation to begin making wine, method again in 1659.
As we speak South Africa’s largest wine area, the Western Cape is residence to the 17,500ha Stellenbosch appellation, east of Cape City. Winemaking right here could be traced again to French Huguenot settlers fleeing non secular persecution within the 1690s. They recognized the realm as a web site the place Bordeaux varieties may thrive, and their French winemaking know-how gave start to the Bordeaux legacy in Stellenbosch.
Following within the footsteps of these Huguenots, the English Gabb household arrived in Stellenbosch in 1995. Though centuries later, they shared the identical winemaking imaginative and prescient and recognised the unimaginable potential of 1 explicit web site: Journey’s Finish.
A singular setting
Positioned deep within the southeastern nook of Stellenbosch, in a fantastic pure amphitheatre created by the Hottentots Holland Mountains, Journey’s Finish is actually the final wine property within the appellation. It’s additionally the closest winery within the area to the Atlantic Ocean, which is simply 7km away.
Sitting on the Schapenberg Hill, vineyards are planted on 350-million-year-old soils of decomposed granite. They gently slope down in direction of the coast of False Bay, the place the geology adjustments to alluvial soils created from historic river beds.
The property additionally advantages from a singular cool microclimate, formed by a fierce southeastern wind often called the Cape Physician, which blows in from the Atlantic. ‘It retains our vines wholesome and disease-free,’ explains Journey’s Finish winemaker Mike Dawson.
Journey’s Finish winemaker Mike Dawson. Credit score: Halima Beale
Constructing blocks
Due to this very particular terroir, Bordeaux varieties thrive at Journey’s Finish. Vineyards had been planted in 1996 with a mixture of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, alongside Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. These grapes present the constructing blocks for the vineyard’s award-winning Bordeaux blends.
The cool local weather permits longer hangtimes for bunches on the vine, permitting the grapes to develop the excessive acidity and tannin content material wanted to make long-lived wines. Balanced alcohol and sugar ranges are additionally essential for ageability, and this pursuit of stability is mirrored in the way in which that Dawson manages the vineyards. ‘We have to work with nature, not in opposition to it,’ he notes.
Within the winery
Sustainable regenerative viticultural strategies not solely defend the vineyards and protect them for future generations, however enable the grapes to talk of their terroir. This stewardship of the land encompasses water administration, soil preservation, pure pest management and extra. A precedence for Journey’s Finish is conservation of the natural world native to the Cape Floral Kingdom, one in all solely six floral kingdoms on the planet. Characterised by its distinctive fynbos vegetation, nearly 70% of the Cape’s plant species are discovered nowhere else on Earth.
Defending and inspiring these crops is essential to selling biodiversity within the winery, which in flip contributes to the depth and complexity of the ultimate wines. These could also be Bordeaux-style blends, however they’ve a uniquely Stellenbosch character.
The vineyard’s flagship white wine is Advert Infinitum, a Sauvignon-Semillon mix. Credit score: Ewaldt Verster
Crafting Bordeaux blends
No Journey’s Finish wines specific this higher than the vineyard’s flagship pink, Cape Physician, and flagship white, Advert Infinitum. Each are solely produced in high vintages. Launched with the 2022 classic, Advert Infinitum is a Sauvignon-Semillon mix fermented in 2,000-litre oval-shaped French oak Ovunum barrels. The wine’s identify is a play on phrases with Journey’s Finish, whereas additionally evoking its seemingly infinite end. Textured, with coastal freshness, it embodies the distinctive web site that produces it.
Named for the fierce wind that blows by means of the winery, Cape Physician is a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot – although the mix of varietals and the winemaking regime differ annually, in response to the classic. The 2015 classic of Cape Physician was awarded 97 factors and a Platinum medal on the Decanter World Wine Awards, launching it onto the worldwide stage. It was a transparent sign of the standard of Stellenbosch Bordeaux blends to fantastic wine collectors across the globe.
As we speak, over 330 years since Bordeaux grapes arrived within the area, Journey’s Finish is constant the Bordeaux legacy, defining a mode that mixes Outdated World class with spectacular New World verve.
Two to attempt
Journey’s Finish, Advert Infinitum, Stellenbosch, South Africa 2022
A traditional Bordeaux white mix, that includes 87% Sauvignon Blanc and 13% Semillon, co-harvested and co-fermented in new French oak, with 10 months on lees. Brilliant citrus and lemongrass aromas with hints of kiwi and Cape gooseberry. Pretty stability on the palate; creamy and rounded, however gentle on its ft because of a streak of granite minerality, with a contemporary saline character.
Journey’s Finish, Cape Physician, Stellenbosch, South Africa 2018
A mix of fifty% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 6% Malbec and 4% Petit Verdot, sourced from 5 adjoining winery blocks. Fermented in a mixture of new and previous French oak and aged for 22 months. Spicy darkish fruit aromas, with hints of leather-based and darkish chocolate. Structured palate with concentrated black fruit framed by tender, elegant tannins, with a lingering end. Loads of ageing potential.
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