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Swartland, South Africa
This old vineyard was planted in 1974 and lies on the western side of Malmesbury, on route to Darling. Historically Tinta Das Baroccas (the earlier pronunciation) has always had a good and prominent place in the Swartland region. This vineyard is located next to the old railway line (treinspoor) and was named accordingly. The very fragile thin skin of Tinta Barocca is prone to sunburn, but in this case the old bush vines have formed a great framework to keep the bunches sheltered from the intense Swartland sun. The good colour and firm acidity of this variety have made it a great and favourite component in blends from the outset. However, once a Tinta Barocca vineyard has grown into old age, it has all the complexities and qualities to be bottled on its own. Dark fruits, rose petals and wood smoke on the nose leading onto a palate displaying dark fruit flavours some plum/black cherry and even some meaty notes. This red calls for a charcoal grilled rump steak or a slow-roasted pork shoulder.
This old vineyard was planted in 1974 and lies on the western side of Malmesbury, on route to Darling. Historically Tinta Das Baroccas (the earlier pronunciation) has always had a good and prominent place in the Swartland region. This vineyard is located next to the old railway line (treinspoor) and was named accordingly. The very fragile thin skin of Tinta Barocca is prone to sunburn, but in this case the old bush vines have formed a great framework to keep the bunches sheltered from the intense Swartland sun. The good colour and firm acidity of this variety have made it a great and favourite component in blends from the outset. However, once a Tinta Barocca vineyard has grown into old age, it has all the complexities and qualities to be bottled on its own. Dark fruits, rose petals and wood smoke on the nose leading onto a palate displaying dark fruit flavours some plum/black cherry and even some meaty notes.
This red calls for a charcoal grilled rump steak or a slow-roasted pork shoulder.
Varietal / Blend: Tinta Barocca
Decant: We insist!
Closure: Cork
Farming Practices: Organic
The Sadie Family team work with roughly 30 hectares of vines, one-third of which are estate, with the other vines farmed entirely under their control. This is quite the undertaking when you consider, at their furthest point, the vineyards lie some 250 miles apart and are spread across 53 separate parcels. Then consider that everything is dry grown and organically farmed and that each parcel, having different geologies, aspects and often grape varieties, will require different management. These vines, (from overwhelmingly old parcels), lie mostly on the high-altitude slopes of Swartland’s Atlantic-influenced mountains, one hour north of Cape Town on the Western Cape.
The terroirs include Paardeberg Mountain (on granite), Riebeek Mountain (slate), Piquetberg (sandstone and quartz), Coastal Plain (chalk) and Malmesbury (Glenrosa clay). Further afield, several of the Old Vine Series plots fall outside of the Swartland WO, notably Soldaat in the Piekenierskloof highlands and the Skurfberg vineyards in Citrusdal Mountain. There are no chemical additives to either the vines or the soils—a philosophy which extends to the cellar. Sadie’s key challenge in the vineyard, he notes, is preserving the grape’s acidity, freshness and purity—a challenge that starts in the vineyards with building the (previously neglected) soils’ life through inter-planting and organic composting. Whatever he’s doing, it’s working as the wines lack for nothing when it comes to energy and freshness.
