Niels and Penny Verburg started Luddite Wines while Niels was still the winemaker at Beaumont in Bot River. Twenty years later Luddite, above the town of Bot River, is one of the icon wine producers of the entire Overberg region.
Style
As the name Luddite suggests, the Verburgs favour a lo-fi approach to farming and winemaking. They seek to produce wines of character, interest, texture and uniqueness. Penny looks after the vineyards, and Niels is in charge in the cellar. Their daughter Alice has recently joined her father in the winery.
Luddite Wines
The prevailing reputation of Luddite is for powerful reds and electric whites – and we are pleased to report that the latest wines meet these descriptions perfectly.
The Saboteur White has grown in popularity steadily over the last few years to become one of the key Cape Wine Blends in the industry. Based on Chenin Blanc with smaller percentages of Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc (both of which see a little skin contact), this wine is as modern and as sexy as anything currently being produced in South Africa. Vintage 2021 review by Christian Eedes of Winemag: “Lime, citrus and stone fruit plus more elusive notes of potpourri, dried herbs and some yeasty complexity. With an alcohol of 12.3%, the palate is leaner than 2020 with quite sharp acidity before a pithy finish – a striking wine with lots of youthful tension about it. 93/100” — sealed with crown cap
The Saboteur Red continues its run as “baby Luddite Shiraz” – the recent addition of Grenache in the last few vintages has added a crunchy, fresh and juicy note that is very pleasing on the palate. Always fully ripe and ready for some red meat, the Saboteur Red is a great full-bodied, but beautifully balanced wine. 2019 vintage review CE: “60% Shiraz, 20% Mourvèdre, 13% Grenache and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon. Enticing aromatics of red berries, fresh herbs, smoked meat, white pepper and spice. The palate is rather more medium bodied than 2018 with a great core of fruit, fresh acidity and crunchy tannins. Supple and nicely energetic. 94/100” — sealed with crown cap
The Chenin Blanc is the Luddite wine that many people may not be overly familiar with. Made in tiny quantities, this is the first year that we have actually had any decent volume to offer. We can hardly believe this is the 10th vintage of this wine. A lazy 21 days on skins post-fermentation, this is a wine of texture and savouriness and length; one to ponder and explore, not to ‘smash’. 2021 vintage review CE: “this is a revelation in terms of purity and complexity. The nose shows pear, peach, citrus, ginger and other spice, fynbos and flowers while the palate possesses a great core of fruit, plenty of drive and a very persistent dry finish. It’s balanced, focused and more substantial than its 12.3% alcohol might suggest.95/100“
The Shiraz is the jewel in the crown of the Luddite range – such an icon. Sadly yeilds were down drastically in the 2018 vintage and there is only a tiny amount available. Luckily we have been given access to a cache of the 2010 Luddite Shiraz direct from the Luddite Library on the farm. An epic wine, 12 years old and maturing beautifully – worth every cent. We also have some magnums of 2016, 2017 and 2018 available. 2018 vintage review CE: “The 2018 vintage was a continuation of the drought that had been hitting the Western Cape since 2015, the result being smaller berries and, in turn, a substantially smaller crop. No problem with concentration and structure, however, as this is massive. The nose shows dark berries, earth, pepper, liquorice, wild herbs, molasses and tar. The palate has huge volume thanks to dense fruit and firm tannins. The wine is, however, not without freshness and ends dry. Matured for 24 months in mainly French oak, 15% new. 92/100“
Luddite New Releases – March 2022
LUDDITE NEW RELEASES
March 2022
The Luddite new releases are now available.
Niels and Penny Verburg started Luddite Wines while Niels was still the winemaker at Beaumont in Bot River. Twenty years later Luddite, above the town of Bot River, is one of the icon wine producers of the entire Overberg region.
Style
As the name Luddite suggests, the Verburgs favour a lo-fi approach to farming and winemaking. They seek to produce wines of character, interest, texture and uniqueness. Penny looks after the vineyards, and Niels is in charge in the cellar. Their daughter Alice has recently joined her father in the winery.
Luddite Wines
The prevailing reputation of Luddite is for powerful reds and electric whites – and we are pleased to report that the latest wines meet these descriptions perfectly.
The Saboteur White has grown in popularity steadily over the last few years to become one of the key Cape Wine Blends in the industry. Based on Chenin Blanc with smaller percentages of Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc (both of which see a little skin contact), this wine is as modern and as sexy as anything currently being produced in South Africa. Vintage 2021 review by Christian Eedes of Winemag: “Lime, citrus and stone fruit plus more elusive notes of potpourri, dried herbs and some yeasty complexity. With an alcohol of 12.3%, the palate is leaner than 2020 with quite sharp acidity before a pithy finish – a striking wine with lots of youthful tension about it. 93/100” — sealed with crown cap
The Saboteur Red continues its run as “baby Luddite Shiraz” – the recent addition of Grenache in the last few vintages has added a crunchy, fresh and juicy note that is very pleasing on the palate. Always fully ripe and ready for some red meat, the Saboteur Red is a great full-bodied, but beautifully balanced wine. 2019 vintage review CE: “60% Shiraz, 20% Mourvèdre, 13% Grenache and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon. Enticing aromatics of red berries, fresh herbs, smoked meat, white pepper and spice. The palate is rather more medium bodied than 2018 with a great core of fruit, fresh acidity and crunchy tannins. Supple and nicely energetic. 94/100” — sealed with crown cap
The Chenin Blanc is the Luddite wine that many people may not be overly familiar with. Made in tiny quantities, this is the first year that we have actually had any decent volume to offer. We can hardly believe this is the 10th vintage of this wine. A lazy 21 days on skins post-fermentation, this is a wine of texture and savouriness and length; one to ponder and explore, not to ‘smash’. 2021 vintage review CE: “this is a revelation in terms of purity and complexity. The nose shows pear, peach, citrus, ginger and other spice, fynbos and flowers while the palate possesses a great core of fruit, plenty of drive and a very persistent dry finish. It’s balanced, focused and more substantial than its 12.3% alcohol might suggest. 95/100“
The Shiraz is the jewel in the crown of the Luddite range – such an icon. Sadly yeilds were down drastically in the 2018 vintage and there is only a tiny amount available. Luckily we have been given access to a cache of the 2010 Luddite Shiraz direct from the Luddite Library on the farm. An epic wine, 12 years old and maturing beautifully – worth every cent. We also have some magnums of 2016, 2017 and 2018 available. 2018 vintage review CE: “The 2018 vintage was a continuation of the drought that had been hitting the Western Cape since 2015, the result being smaller berries and, in turn, a substantially smaller crop. No problem with concentration and structure, however, as this is massive. The nose shows dark berries, earth, pepper, liquorice, wild herbs, molasses and tar. The palate has huge volume thanks to dense fruit and firm tannins. The wine is, however, not without freshness and ends dry. Matured for 24 months in mainly French oak, 15% new. 92/100“
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Luddite Shiraz 2010
R1,080.00Read more about Luddite
View all Luddite Wines in the Shop
Please contact david@exanimo.co.za if you have any queries.