“Natural wines aren’t for everyone but if you are partial to them, then the Mother Rock portfolio from Johan ‘Stompie’ Meyer are must-buys.”

— Christian Eedes, Winemag

The new Mother Rock releases are now available. From vintage 2020, Johan “Stompie” Meyer has made the wines in his cellar at the new home of Mother Rock and JH Meyer Wines, Platteklip Farm on the Piketberg Mountain in northern Swartland.

These are natural wines, with organic farming a foundation of the project. In the cellar, Stompie keeps things very simple: no additions—often not even sulphur. He relies on a combination of the quality of the vineyard, organic farming, picking early, and his skill in the winery to produce expressive wines of honesty and heart at ridiculous value.

The Mother Rock wines are some of the edgiest and most delicious in South Africa today.

“Some of South Africa’s top natural wines”

―Jamie Goode

A Pétillant Naturel (or Method Ancestral) wine made from 70% Chenin Blanc and 30% Pinotage. This is a single ferment sparkling wine, so lighter in weight and simpler than MCC. There is no tirage or dosage (sugar addition) giving super fresh, vibrant fruit, and a charmingly gentle spritz. Will be a favourite for the coming summer.

A total weapon of a Chenin Blanc – made from a vineyard farmed by Franziska Wickens in the Siebritskloof on the Paardeberg. Mostly fermented in stainless steel, 30% of the fruit was fermented on skins for 4 weeks giving a lovely fine texture to the palate.

One of the most exciting wines in the entire Ex Animo portfolio in my humble opinion. A little bit of time in bottle has transformed this wine in the best of ways. Pure, unadulterated Semillon pleasure.

This wine is impossibly fun to drink. Beautiful pale pink with fresh berries and mineral lift on the nose. The palate is full of energy and tension without being aggressive. The fruit weight at the low alcohol (10.5%) is impressive.

The Mother Rock wines are more concentrated than their Force Celeste counterparts. The White is a blend of Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Grenache Blanc and Semillon. With some skin contact (15%) and a small percentage (3%) aged under flor, this wine is extreme(ly delicious).

Christian Eedes: “The nose is expressive if unusual with nutty, waxy overtones as well as citrus and stone fruit, herbs and flowers. The palate is lean, fresh and super-tasty, the finish long and dry. It’s a wine that manages to be simultaneously challenging and invigorating. As ever, it’s sure to be divisive – I, for one, like it.

CE’s rating: 95/100“

Frustratingly, only a tiny number of bottles available of the 2020 vintage for South Africa. This is Stompie’s signature wine, a skin contact Chenin Blanc from old vines in the Swartland.

The Holocene is a blend of 50% Carignan, 25% Mourvèdre, 20% Cinsaut, 5% Grenache. Concentrated aromas of blackberry, olive and earth lead into an impressively dense palate with tight tannin and compact fruit. Needs some time; a serious wine with an open heart.

Christian Eedes: “Red and black berries, fynbos, floral perfume, spice and slightly wild, raw meat quality on the nose while the palate is tightly wound with pure fruit, vibrant acidity and nicely grippy tannins, the finish super-savoury. An edgy wine in every sense.

CE’s rating: 95/100.“