Always one of the most exciting releases of the year, the new 2022 TESTALONGA wines from Craig and Carla Hawkins are ready to purchase…
Craig and Carla seek purity, precision and brightness in their wines and only work with vineyards that can produce high-quality grapes (with relatively low pH) ensuring that there is minimal need for intervention in the cellar.
A herbicide- and pesticide-free approach in the vineyard is essential to their goals. They work with cover crops rather than chemical fertilisers in the winter to ensure moisture retention and general soil health in the dry Swartland climate. Expressing vineyard is key, so all the wines are a single variety from a single site.
The Hawkins purchased land in northern Swartland in 2015 to establish a home and vineyards near the Piekenierskloof Pass and named it Bandit’s Kloof.
In 2021 they made the first wine (a Grenache Blanc) from grapes grown on this farm. I was lucky enough to taste it on a recent visit , and while it is from young vineyards, it is a hugely exciting development. The details surrounding a commercial release of this wine are still to be confirmed.
Notes on this release
The focus at TESTALONGA is on single vineyard, single varietal wines.
This year sees an almost full release of Vintage 2022 El Bandito and Baby Bandito wines. Unfortunately the Monkey Gone To Heaven vineyard (Mourvedre) suffered smoke taint close to harvest and that wine was not made in 2022.
As always some of the wines are only available in minute quantities.
The wines
TESTALONGA Baby Bandito 'Keep On Punching' 2022
Chenin Blanc
Note from Craig: “Baby Bandito is a project we started in 2015. We wanted to work with vineyards that deliver wines that can be drunk young yet still “over deliver” in quality one would expect from our most affordable wine. There was a heavy influence from street artists (the good ones, not just your drunk student defacing someone’s wall, unless it was good) in the labels and the idea of a “series” using different and bright colours. The names of the wines come from expressions that we use as if giving encouragement to a child. “Keep on Punching” is an expression my good friend and hockey mate, Prof Lyal White, used to always say when the going got tough: “Keep on punching, the head will fall”.”
Christian Eedes (Winemag): Pear, peach, citrus and apple on the nose while the palate has good fruit density and texture and moderate acidity before a finish that is slightly bitter in the best way.
TESTALONGA Baby Bandito 'Stay Brave' 2022
Chenin Blanc – Skin Macerated
Hand harvested and 100% destemmed into open 1500L fermenters. Fermented on the skins for 12 days. The wine was blended and aged in one 10 000L fibreglass tank. Craig and Carla have worked hard to add nuance and subtlety to this wine. This makes it an excellent starting point for those interested in skin contact whites.
CE: The nose has top notes of potpourri and ginger before citrus, peach and some earthiness. On the palate, lovely generosity of fruit, moderate acidity, the finish lightly grippy.
TESTALONGA Baby Bandito 'Chin Up' 2022
Cinsaut
Planted in 1981, bush vine (un-trellised and dryland), farmed organically. This is a 3ha block on the farm of Rick Mcgrindle. It yields very large delicate grapes with thin skins of a pale complexion. 100% destemmed, fermented and aged in concrete and stainless steel. No wood.
CE: Fleeting aromatics of plum, pomegranate, earth and spice. The palate is light to the point of ethereal with snappy acidity and fine tannins. Huge refreshment value.
TESTALONGA Baby Bandito 'Follow Your Dreams' 2022
Carignan
Planted in 2001, bush vine (un-trellised), farmed organically. This is a block that is fairly vigorous for the dry soils of the Swartland and produces a good number of high-quality grapes with very juicy large berries. We try keep as many leaves as possible to shade the block as it can suffer from sunburn.
CE: Cranberry, raspberry, some fynbos and earth on the nose. Good fruit purity and punchy acidity before a savoury finish. Balanced, energetic and showing more refinement and interest than previously.
TESTALONGA El Bandito 'Lords Of Dogtown' 2022
Chenin Blanc
Note from Craig: “Our farm, Bandits Kloof, is now a blank canvas and can be quite a demanding place at times. It’s definitely a challenge in a positive way but is a bit “rough” at the moment. We have friendly nicknamed it “Dog town” as the animals (baboons, donkeys, cattle, dogs) are or seem to want to be in charge. The photo was taken by Carla on one of our walks, and the donkeys and cattle all seemed to be posing for the camera as if it was a photo shoot. The owner of the vineyard Carl Malherbe has 2h a of vineyard which when he brought the farm was abandoned, we worked together and are in the process of getting the 2 blocks back into production, Carl being a cattle auctioneer always jokingly asks when I’m going to put an Nguni on the label, so the photo just fitted.”
CE: Orange, yellow peach, nougat and a little earthiness on the nose. Relatively rich and broad with gentle acidity – flavourful and engaging.
TESTALONGA El Bandito 'Cortez' 2022
Chenin Blanc
Made from a silica-rich vineyard on Bosgaasfontein on the western (cooler) side of the Paardeberg. This is always tightest, most closed and mineral of the TESTALONGA Chenins. Dry grown bushvines planted in 1972. Wholebunch-pressed into a mix of old oak barrels and stainless steel. This is our favourite TESTALONGA wine every year.
CE: Airy aromatics of hay, pear, peach, citrus and floral perfume while the palate is pure and linear with zippy acidity and a pithy finish.
TESTALONGA El Bandito 'Mangaliza' 2022
Harslevelu
Note from Craig: “The wine is borne from my experiences in working close the Hungarian border in Austria. Here I came into contact with the grape Harslevelü, which is beautifully fragrant and has a great natural oily texture together with decent acidities. I came back to South Africa and work with a tiny 0.5 ha vineyard, (which is next to the Sweet Cheeks and Cortez vineyard). Whilst in Hungary I also discovered the Hungarian “Sheep Pig” locally called Mangalitsa, I like pigs and particularly pigs that look like sheep, so I called the wine Mangaliza in homage to the sheep pig. The photo was taken by myself of a field mouse which I rescued from my dogs, it lived to fight another day.”
CE: Honeysuckle, citrus, peach and spice on the nose. Dense fruit, fresh acidity and some tannic grip to the finish. Plenty of flavour intensity, the finish long and dry. Particularly well realised in this vintage.
TESTALONGA El Bandito 'Skin' 2022
Chenin Blanc – Skin Macerated
Craig: “The “Skin” is our proudest wine being the first one we bottled in 2008. The wine has come a long way and each year provides us with new flavours. We have toned down on the extraction and have now stopped experimenting as much as we used to. We have found our sweet spot that we enjoy for Skin Macerated whites and enjoy the balance we get from these flavours. We have reduced the length of time we leave the wines on the skin as the goal here is to find elegance and focus within this particular style which we love.”
CE: Complex aromatics of honey, potpourri, ginger and some waxy character as well as hints of peach, nectarine and dried herbs. The palate is dense and thick textured but equally possesses great freshness, the finish nicely dry.
TESTALONGA El Bandito 'Sweet Cheeks' 2022
Hanepoot – Skin Macerated
Note from Craig: “The name comes from the children who every year love to pick at the sweet berries and eat them, hence “sweet cheeks”. Probably the most fragrant wine we make. Hanepoot (Muscat Alexandrie) is actually a table grape and meant for eating but we did an experiment in 2013 with skin contact to try and extract the flavour and it has made one of our most refreshing wines to drink.”
CE: Essence of grape, blossom and some terpene character on the nose while the palate has pure fruit, zippy acidity and some pithy character to the finish. Entirely charming.
TESTALONGA El Bandito 'The Dark Side' 2022
Syrah
Note from Craig: “The Dark Side is probably our simplest label, but we find it fitting to the grape Syrah, which definitely has a dark side, in a good way. Syrah has always been a challenging grape for us as we have high expectations and it is very important to find the right soil and block to suit the wine that we want to make.”
CE: Attractive aromatics of red and black berries, lavender, a hint of olive and white pepper while the palate is light, but the fruit definition is impressive, the acidity bright, the tannins fine and powdery. Layered and long, this is one of the best versions of this wine yet.
TESTALONGA El Bandito 'Queen Of Spades' 2022
Tinta Amarela
Note from Craig: “We came across this vineyard (0.1ha) through good friend Rick Mcgrindle, a farmer from Abbotsdale region. Thought to be Tempranillo when planted but turning out to be Tinta Amarela, which is a grape I personally love from my experiences of working in Portugal. The Label is a photo taken by one of our friends, Bryan Short’s brother, Kevin Short, during his time spent at Burning Man in the USA. I adapted the photo to portray a perception of a “Love/Hate” relationship between the Queen of Spades and the Queen of Hearts.”
CE: Nuanced aromatics of cranberry, red cherry, flowers and fynbos while the palate is juicy and fresh with crunchy tannins. Lovely poise and loads of flavour.
TESTALONGA El Bandito 'I Wish I Was A Ninja' 2022
Colombard Pet Nat
Note from Craig: “We are extremely happy with this wine, as it is quickly becoming one of our mainstay wines. The good balance of acid, sugar and bubbles is now a consistent quality. The name came about whilst we were bottling the wine in harvest and we got onto the topic of Ninjas. The photo was taken by me in the pool of good friend Paul Jordaan, during one of many Swartland braais. I knew then that the photo would be my label as I think it captures the essence of what I want the people to feel like when they drink this wine.“
TESTALONGA El Bandito 'I Am The Ninja' 2022
Chenin Blanc Pet Nat
Note from Craig: “We love Methode Ancestral wines and the texture they bring. We wanted this wine to be drier than the “I wish I was a Ninja” as we feel Chenin has more depth when it is drier. The photo was taken by our friend Martin Shambrock in London of his neighbour’s dog “Layla”. We love the photo and think it suits this wine perfectly, it serious but playful at the same time.“
TESTALONGA Vintage 2022
TESTALONGA
Vintage 2022
Always one of the most exciting releases of the year, the new 2022 TESTALONGA wines from Craig and Carla Hawkins are ready to purchase…
Craig and Carla seek purity, precision and brightness in their wines and only work with vineyards that can produce high-quality grapes (with relatively low pH) ensuring that there is minimal need for intervention in the cellar.
A herbicide- and pesticide-free approach in the vineyard is essential to their goals. They work with cover crops rather than chemical fertilisers in the winter to ensure moisture retention and general soil health in the dry Swartland climate. Expressing vineyard is key, so all the wines are a single variety from a single site.
The Hawkins purchased land in northern Swartland in 2015 to establish a home and vineyards near the Piekenierskloof Pass and named it Bandit’s Kloof.
In 2021 they made the first wine (a Grenache Blanc) from grapes grown on this farm. I was lucky enough to taste it on a recent visit , and while it is from young vineyards, it is a hugely exciting development. The details surrounding a commercial release of this wine are still to be confirmed.
Notes on this release
The focus at TESTALONGA is on single vineyard, single varietal wines.
This year sees an almost full release of Vintage 2022 El Bandito and Baby Bandito wines. Unfortunately the Monkey Gone To Heaven vineyard (Mourvedre) suffered smoke taint close to harvest and that wine was not made in 2022.
As always some of the wines are only available in minute quantities.
The wines
TESTALONGA Baby Bandito 'Keep On Punching' 2022
Chenin Blanc
Note from Craig: “Baby Bandito is a project we started in 2015. We wanted to work with vineyards that deliver wines that can be drunk young yet still “over deliver” in quality one would expect from our most affordable wine. There was a heavy influence from street artists (the good ones, not just your drunk student defacing someone’s wall, unless it was good) in the labels and the idea of a “series” using different and bright colours. The names of the wines come from expressions that we use as if giving encouragement to a child. “Keep on Punching” is an expression my good friend and hockey mate, Prof Lyal White, used to always say when the going got tough: “Keep on punching, the head will fall”.”
Christian Eedes (Winemag): Pear, peach, citrus and apple on the nose while the palate has good fruit density and texture and moderate acidity before a finish that is slightly bitter in the best way.
TESTALONGA Baby Bandito 'Stay Brave' 2022
Chenin Blanc – Skin Macerated
Hand harvested and 100% destemmed into open 1500L fermenters. Fermented on the skins for 12 days. The wine was blended and aged in one 10 000L fibreglass tank. Craig and Carla have worked hard to add nuance and subtlety to this wine. This makes it an excellent starting point for those interested in skin contact whites.
CE: The nose has top notes of potpourri and ginger before citrus, peach and some earthiness. On the palate, lovely generosity of fruit, moderate acidity, the finish lightly grippy.
TESTALONGA Baby Bandito 'Chin Up' 2022
Cinsaut
Planted in 1981, bush vine (un-trellised and dryland), farmed organically. This is a 3ha block on the farm of Rick Mcgrindle. It yields very large delicate grapes with thin skins of a pale complexion. 100% destemmed, fermented and aged in concrete and stainless steel. No wood.
CE: Fleeting aromatics of plum, pomegranate, earth and spice. The palate is light to the point of ethereal with snappy acidity and fine tannins. Huge refreshment value.
TESTALONGA Baby Bandito 'Follow Your Dreams' 2022
Carignan
Planted in 2001, bush vine (un-trellised), farmed organically. This is a block that is fairly vigorous for the dry soils of the Swartland and produces a good number of high-quality grapes with very juicy large berries. We try keep as many leaves as possible to shade the block as it can suffer from sunburn.
CE: Cranberry, raspberry, some fynbos and earth on the nose. Good fruit purity and punchy acidity before a savoury finish. Balanced, energetic and showing more refinement and interest than previously.
TESTALONGA El Bandito 'Lords Of Dogtown' 2022
Chenin Blanc
Note from Craig: “Our farm, Bandits Kloof, is now a blank canvas and can be quite a demanding place at times. It’s definitely a challenge in a positive way but is a bit “rough” at the moment. We have friendly nicknamed it “Dog town” as the animals (baboons, donkeys, cattle, dogs) are or seem to want to be in charge. The photo was taken by Carla on one of our walks, and the donkeys and cattle all seemed to be posing for the camera as if it was a photo shoot. The owner of the vineyard Carl Malherbe has 2h a of vineyard which when he brought the farm was abandoned, we worked together and are in the process of getting the 2 blocks back into production, Carl being a cattle auctioneer always jokingly asks when I’m going to put an Nguni on the label, so the photo just fitted.”
CE: Orange, yellow peach, nougat and a little earthiness on the nose. Relatively rich and broad with gentle acidity – flavourful and engaging.
TESTALONGA El Bandito 'Cortez' 2022
Chenin Blanc
Made from a silica-rich vineyard on Bosgaasfontein on the western (cooler) side of the Paardeberg. This is always tightest, most closed and mineral of the TESTALONGA Chenins. Dry grown bushvines planted in 1972. Wholebunch-pressed into a mix of old oak barrels and stainless steel. This is our favourite TESTALONGA wine every year.
CE: Airy aromatics of hay, pear, peach, citrus and floral perfume while the palate is pure and linear with zippy acidity and a pithy finish.
TESTALONGA El Bandito 'Mangaliza' 2022
Harslevelu
Note from Craig: “The wine is borne from my experiences in working close the Hungarian border in Austria. Here I came into contact with the grape Harslevelü, which is beautifully fragrant and has a great natural oily texture together with decent acidities. I came back to South Africa and work with a tiny 0.5 ha vineyard, (which is next to the Sweet Cheeks and Cortez vineyard). Whilst in Hungary I also discovered the Hungarian “Sheep Pig” locally called Mangalitsa, I like pigs and particularly pigs that look like sheep, so I called the wine Mangaliza in homage to the sheep pig. The photo was taken by myself of a field mouse which I rescued from my dogs, it lived to fight another day.”
CE: Honeysuckle, citrus, peach and spice on the nose. Dense fruit, fresh acidity and some tannic grip to the finish. Plenty of flavour intensity, the finish long and dry. Particularly well realised in this vintage.
TESTALONGA El Bandito 'Skin' 2022
Chenin Blanc – Skin Macerated
Craig: “The “Skin” is our proudest wine being the first one we bottled in 2008. The wine has come a long way and each year provides us with new flavours. We have toned down on the extraction and have now stopped experimenting as much as we used to. We have found our sweet spot that we enjoy for Skin Macerated whites and enjoy the balance we get from these flavours. We have reduced the length of time we leave the wines on the skin as the goal here is to find elegance and focus within this particular style which we love.”
CE: Complex aromatics of honey, potpourri, ginger and some waxy character as well as hints of peach, nectarine and dried herbs. The palate is dense and thick textured but equally possesses great freshness, the finish nicely dry.
TESTALONGA El Bandito 'Sweet Cheeks' 2022
Hanepoot – Skin Macerated
Note from Craig: “The name comes from the children who every year love to pick at the sweet berries and eat them, hence “sweet cheeks”. Probably the most fragrant wine we make. Hanepoot (Muscat Alexandrie) is actually a table grape and meant for eating but we did an experiment in 2013 with skin contact to try and extract the flavour and it has made one of our most refreshing wines to drink.”
CE: Essence of grape, blossom and some terpene character on the nose while the palate has pure fruit, zippy acidity and some pithy character to the finish. Entirely charming.
TESTALONGA El Bandito 'The Dark Side' 2022
Syrah
Note from Craig: “The Dark Side is probably our simplest label, but we find it fitting to the grape Syrah, which definitely has a dark side, in a good way. Syrah has always been a challenging grape for us as we have high expectations and it is very important to find the right soil and block to suit the wine that we want to make.”
CE: Attractive aromatics of red and black berries, lavender, a hint of olive and white pepper while the palate is light, but the fruit definition is impressive, the acidity bright, the tannins fine and powdery. Layered and long, this is one of the best versions of this wine yet.
TESTALONGA El Bandito 'Queen Of Spades' 2022
Tinta Amarela
Note from Craig: “We came across this vineyard (0.1ha) through good friend Rick Mcgrindle, a farmer from Abbotsdale region. Thought to be Tempranillo when planted but turning out to be Tinta Amarela, which is a grape I personally love from my experiences of working in Portugal. The Label is a photo taken by one of our friends, Bryan Short’s brother, Kevin Short, during his time spent at Burning Man in the USA. I adapted the photo to portray a perception of a “Love/Hate” relationship between the Queen of Spades and the Queen of Hearts.”
CE: Nuanced aromatics of cranberry, red cherry, flowers and fynbos while the palate is juicy and fresh with crunchy tannins. Lovely poise and loads of flavour.
TESTALONGA El Bandito 'I Wish I Was A Ninja' 2022
Colombard Pet Nat
Note from Craig: “We are extremely happy with this wine, as it is quickly becoming one of our mainstay wines. The good balance of acid, sugar and bubbles is now a consistent quality. The name came about whilst we were bottling the wine in harvest and we got onto the topic of Ninjas. The photo was taken by me in the pool of good friend Paul Jordaan, during one of many Swartland braais. I knew then that the photo would be my label as I think it captures the essence of what I want the people to feel like when they drink this wine.“
TESTALONGA El Bandito 'I Am The Ninja' 2022
Chenin Blanc Pet Nat
Note from Craig: “We love Methode Ancestral wines and the texture they bring. We wanted this wine to be drier than the “I wish I was a Ninja” as we feel Chenin has more depth when it is drier. The photo was taken by our friend Martin Shambrock in London of his neighbour’s dog “Layla”. We love the photo and think it suits this wine perfectly, it serious but playful at the same time.“
View TESTALONGA wines in the shop
Please contact david@exanimo.co.za if you have any queries.