Public Holiday Nation, this has been South Africa over the past few weeks. Good Friday. Bad Friday. Workers Day. Freedom Day. Election. I am just waiting for a public holiday honouring the date on which Simon van der Stel stopped beating his first slave on 7 September 1689 after said slave, Pielkopius Witman, discovered how to make the original Vin de Constance.
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Quietly and without making a big huff and puff, Franschhoek is putting its hand up as a premier Chardonnay region. While Cape Chamonix is – deservedly – getting the bulk of the attention as the region’s Chardonnay (and Pinot Noir) heavy-weight, I rate Môreson as one of South Africa’s most exciting interpreters of the world’s greatest white variety.
The farm has an easy elegance and an invigorating youthful appeal. From the Bread and Wine restaurant and deli, to the quirky names of its wines and the fresh enthusiasm of the unassuming winemaker Clayton Reabow, Môreson has always struck my tuning fork.
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On the local front, the general consensus appears to be that Chardonnay needs wood-maturation to attain optimal expression and depth. Woodless Chardonnays are not given much serious thought in competitions or discussions, largely the result of the label ?+¦?+º?+¦un-wooded?+¦?+º?+æ seeming to imply something is amiss or that the bottle contains juice deemed not good enough for barrel nor a serious audience.
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