Chamonix Troika 2011

A Troika, the people at Cape Chamonix informed us, is a Russian sleigh pulled by three horses. But their love of wine hasn’t been randomly superseded by an interest in Russian transport methods, panic not. Rather, they are likening the Troika sleigh to the Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in this here wine, with its stallion-esque form and equine-like sensitivity and the harmonious efforts of three horses pulling a sleigh. Don’t miss the ride. Whether we could argue it shares vanilla, sweet ripe cherries, blackberries and cinnamon flavours with said horses is debatable.

Cape Chamonix Wine Farm is situated on the eastern mountain slopes of the fertile Franschhoek Valley to the north of Cape Town. It was originally part of the first farm, La Cotte, granted to the Huguenots in 1688. Of 290 hectares, much is planted with fruit trees and different vines of export quality. It also boasts some of the highest planted vineyards in the Cape. The main homestead was built by Judge Malan in 1947 and was owned by the Pickering family from 1965-88. During this time the farm was renamed ‘Chamonix’ (its previous name was Waterval). The name Chamonix was chosen as it reminded the Pickerings of a holiday spent in the French village of Chamonix. The estate was bought in 1990 and many improvements have been made to it since, with the planting of new vines and fruit trees. Uitkyk, a small neighbouring farm was acquired a few years later. The Uitkyk homestead was renovated and became the award winning French-style restaurant La Maison de Chamonix. An underground wine cellar connected to the tasting room has been built on the lower slopes of the Uitkyk farm.

After matriculating in South Africa Gottfried Mocke travelled to Europe and found himself working at the August Kessler Winery in the Rheingau region of Germany. Whilst here he became obsessed about learning as much as possible about viniculture and enrolled himself as an apprentice in a winery at Bingen. Gottfried also worked part time at the Johanniger Winery in Bad Kreuznach. After successfully completing his three year apprenticeship, he travelled to Oregan in the USA to work at Rex Hill Vineyards, which specialise in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In 1999 he returned to Germany to study Oenolgy and Viticulture at Winesberg and spent time travelling through France and working at the Domaine de Trevallon in Provence. Gottfried returned to South Africa in 2001 and took over the position of Winemaker at Chamonix, where he remains today. His focus is on site specific wines which show their true individuality and character.

Grapes are soft-crushed and the must is fermented in stainless steel and concrete fermenters at 28°C for 12-22 days on the skins, with frequent pumping of the cap. The batches are assembled before bottling to enhance the complexity, before being cellared for six months to a year before release.

Chamonix Troika has a deep ruby/mulberry colour when young, with scents that recall vanilla, sweet ripe cherries, blackberries, cinnamon and other spices. The wine is amply structured, full, round and smooth on the palate with rich fruit and berry sensations, fine harmony and length of flavour.