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74 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 The tasting began with a 2013 Shiraz from Guardian Peak, a winery conceived by Engelbrecht in 1998, named after the highest peak in the Stellenbosch mountain range. Because Stellenbosch is a university town, Jean says he wanted to make a wine that appealed to a young palate. He has a deep affinity for Shiraz, and so deciding on the grape was no trouble. However, "we went through a lot of trial and error because everything you do when you make wine influences the price," he explained. "With Guardian Peak we started with a price point in mind and we had to work backwards from what you would normally do." The Shiraz grapes are sourced from multiple properties, which is why "Western Cape" appears on the label rather than a Stellenbosch designate, and second-fill bar - rels from Rust en Vrede are used to age the Guardian Peak wines. The second and third wines tasted were a 2013 Merlot and 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon from Rust en Vrede. The winery's estate vineyards are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot, at a percentage of 60, 30 and 10, respectively, and production totals around 25,000 cases. In the late 1970s, Engelbrecht's father experimented with other varietals, but 40 years of experience with the land taught them to focus on Cab, Shiraz and Merlot. And though wines from South Africa are considered to be New World, the winery itself dates back to 1694, when the first grapes were planted on the proper ty, though it wasn't until 1782 that the first wines were produced on-site. By 1982, the original wine-producing facility was still in tact, though only in use as a maturation cellar, and so Engelbrecht turned it into a restaurant. "Every year we learn more, and in the last decade we've learned more about our soil than the varieties themselves," Engelbrecht said. "The way we select root - stock is completely different from how it was done 15 to 20 years ago. And this has had an immense impact on quality in South Africa." There was a question about the soils and a particular earthy element that most in the room agreed they picked up on in many wines from South Africa. "Yes, there's a minerality you'll pick up on thanks to our alluvial soils—some have slightly higher clay content, and it also comes from our Mediterranean climate. The next few wines were from Anthonij Rupert Winery and Ernie Els Wines. The Rupert property is situated in Franschhoek, about a half an hour east of Stellenbosch, separated by the Groot Drakenstein Mountains. The Rupert Family purchased the estate in 1968, but in 2005 under the guidance of Johann Rupert, the brother of the late Anthonij Rupert, a com - plete overhaul took place. "He ripped up all the vines planted on a r iverbed, which had poor soils," explained Engelbrecht, "and left all the vines planted on the slopes lead - ing up to the mountains. Cabernet Franc is their sho wpiece and flag-bearer wine and they have done tremendously in a short period of time. Because of the mountains, summers in Franschhoek are hotter, since they don't enjoy the coastal influences we have back in Stellenbosch." As for Ernie Els, he and Jean have been friends since teenagers. In 2005, together they purchased the winery, and by 2010 amicably parted ways on the wine front, but are still partners in a restaurant in Stellenbosch. We tasted Els's 2011 "Signature Blend," which was the first vin - tage produced by a new winemaker. The last three wines provided a vertical tasting of Engelbrecht's 1694 Classification wines from Rust en Vrede—vintages 2009, 2010 and 2011. Named after the year the property was founded, each vintage produces around 1,600 cases. The wines are single-vineyard blends of 60% Shiraz and 40% Cabernet and were elegantly structured, complex and so intriguing they sparked an engaging conversation ignited by Wilfred Wong. Because each vintage was markedly distinct, Wong suggested that we offer up a show of hands for who in the room prefers which vintage. The votes resulted in some casting two votes, torn over the nuances of different vintages: 8 preferred the 2009 10 preferred the 2010 2 preferred the 2011 "I like all three, but for now the 2011 is much more pleasant," said Ira Noroff. "[These wines] are showing more richness and depth." "The 2009 had all kinds of stuff," said an enthusiastic Wong. "Between the herbs and the licorice, I could really get into the wine and have fun. The 2010 is much younger, even though there's only a year of separa - tion and I can see it going even further than where the 2009 is today." Responding to a question about vintages, Engelbrecht explained that 2009 was a great vintage in Stellenbosch, but a small one. 2011 was a "normal vintage" while 2012 had less fruit than what growers/ Matt Montrose, Sommelier at Atelier Crenn, San Francisco. Phoebe Champion, District Sales Manager/ Northern CA, Terlato Wines, next to Bobby Conroy of Benu, San Francisco. 2009 2010 2011