METZER & HOLFELD FAMILY WINES
Wednesday 6 November 2019
https://www.metzerwines.com/

Dr Peter Rating – Experience: 4.5/5
Dr Peter Rating – Wines: 5/5

I had a special reason to visit Metzer. It was probably an unusual one. I wanted to buy a PétNat wine for a special tasting I was arranging for my WSET Diploma colleagues ahead of the Sparkling Wine Exam in early 2020. Pétillant Naturel is a wine made using the méthode ancestrale (also known as artisanale or rurale) that is currently in vogue. The wine is made by an method older than champagne and its equivalent sparklers (MCC or Cap Classique) included. The wine is bottled before fermentation has fully finished, thereby allowing the carbon dioxide produced by fermentation of the natural sugar remaining to form the bubbles. It is a risky approach for obvious reasons. PétNats are not disgorged, though may be fined and filtered. The sparkling wine is typically light, fizzy, spritzy and low-alcohol and for early drinking. [Afternote: the Metzer PétNat was ripe fruity in character with flavours of lemon citrus, white honey and pineapple. The bubbles were fine and simple but short-lived with the wine showing medium alcohol and an average finish].

I digress. I had already travelled to South Stellenbosch for a morning WSET class and so I was conveniently placed to collect the PétNat and taste some wine. Metzer was a secret that seemed determined not easily to be disclosed. The wines – mostly exported to the USA, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and Japan – are Wine of Origin Stellenbosch yet the vineyards are on the lower slopes of the Helderberg Mountains. You won’t find Metzer in the maps at the back of the 2020 Platter’s Guide either. Tasting is by appointment only in a spacious modern house that, even with satnav, was not the easiest to find. Nonetheless, head South and past Avontuur Estate on the R44 towards Somerset West. Turn onto the Cordoba Road and pass Pink Valley Winery and you will be almost there.

I was warmly welcomed by Wade Metzer, winemaker and co-owner with Barry Holfield. The winery was established in 2006 and produces mostly (60%) red wine. I began the tasting in the family kitchen with 2 Chenins Blanc. Both wines were of 2017 vintage, vinified in old French oak using natural fermentation with 8 months lees ageing, but made from grapes grown in differing climates and soils. I rated them both highly. The ‘Maritime’, with grapes sourced from a vineyard 4 kilometres from the ocean at False Bay, was fresh in character with delicious lemon, lime citrus and tropical fruit aromas on the nose. The palate was well balanced with the fruits matched by a crisp bright yet integrated acidity, showing a saline minerality. Deeper in lemon colour and grown on granite, quartz soils on the mountain slopes, the ‘Montane’ chenin was equally elegant. The wine had a weightier character with vanilla notes complementing those of lemon and lime. The wine was more textured on the palate due, Wade explained, to the clay subsoils.

Cinsault is a favourite variety and, like Chenin Blanc, is found in small parcels of old vines. The wine was made from bush vines planted in 1964 on the lower slopes of the Helderberg West peak. The low yield of concentrated berries made for a beautifully perfumed pale ruby wine with aromas of raspberry, bitter cherry, cranberry and violets. White pepper spice emerged on the palate to balance a green and herbal stemminess (30% whole bunch pressed) that gave added complexity on the palate. I would have preferred even greater concentration on the palate.

The Shiraz also comes from the Helderberg but from a single block containing sandstone, granite and clay soils. The wine was made in a light style, belying its 13.5% alcohol, with scented red to dark fruit notes of cranberry, mulberry, white pepper and violets on the nose. The elegance fed through to a precise palate with good intensity and a balanced, integrated acidity.

I ended the tasting with a Cabernet Sauvignon, the first release for Metzer. This was another high scoring wine with an elegant and inviting nose. The red cherry, black plum, cassis and eucalyptus aromas were complex and intense, aided by added 10% Shiraz and 5% Cinsault. Green tobacco leafiness emerged on the palate that showed a good structure from tight but not astringent tannins (14 months in 30% new French oak). The Cabernet Sauvignon was approachable and already very drinkable but will age well for another 10 years.

Metzer was the very essence of a boutique estate. The wines were superb with elegant, simple stylish labels (there is also excellent detailed information on the website). I rated the wines highly and the effort to find the winery was well worth it. I liked the cultivar and terroir specificity that came from the carefully selected vineyards in small parcels from the immediate area. Whilst the Stellenbosch or Helderberg location conundrum confused at first, there was nothing contradictory about the wines. Each one was precise, authentic and made with minimum intervention to allow the soils and varietal character to shine best. The wines were pricey (R250 to R300) but this is understandable for a boutique winery producing only 4,500 cases annually. Their quality is without question and so worth the money. The ‘Montane’ Chenin Blanc, for example, gained 5 Platter stars in a very competitive category in 2020. I could very easily have bought every wine had my pockets been deep enough. I would also buy any Metzer wine without prior tasting. That combination is a rare treat for me indeed.

#capewinelover #DrPeter

Wines tasted (bought *):

Sparkling:

2018 Metzer PétNat (100% Chenin Blanc) – R250*

White:

2017 Metzer Family Maritime Chenin Blanc – R250
2017 Metzer Family Montane Chenin Blanc – R300 FAVOURITE WINE

Red:

2018 Metzer Family Cinsault – R300
2017 Metzer Family Shiraz – R240
2017 Metzer Family Cabernet Sauvignon – R240