The 2021 vintage are overall the densest wines I've made to date.
— Lukas van Loggerenberg
VAN LOGGERENBERG
Vintage 2021 Release
The new vintage 2021 Van Loggerenberg wines are ready.
Lukas van Loggerenberg makes his wines on Paarl mountain, and sources most of his fruit from Stellenbosch with important parcels coming from Swartland and a new (old) vineyard in Franschhoek.
There is a luxuriousness and generosity to Lukas’ wines, but certainly not at the expense of balance or finesse. A total Loire Valley fanatic, both Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc are close to his heart. While Lukas is inspired by the likes of Touraine, Saumur, Chinon and Vouvray, he is certainly not out to produce replicas of these wines. His aim is to create great South African wines – quality is paramount.
Hopefully he can afford a new Burgundy Zalto glass soon (see pic above).
The BAD news
Let’s get the bad news out of the way first: yields were down in key vineyards this year. The worst hit wines were Trust Your Gut and Graft. Volumes are severely down from last year.
As frustrating as it is for everyone involved, that is the territory of vineyard-specific wines. We thank you in advance for your understanding.
The GOOD news
There are two new wines this year!! Lötter and High Hopes, AND we welcome the return of the Kameraderie label.
Kameraderie: as you will remember there was no Kameraderie from vintage 2020. The old Paarl vineyard Lukas had been lovingly tending was badly affected by a veldfire and ravaged by baboons. It had been a losing battle over the years to produce a yield from the vineyard that made any commercial sense. Lukas and his wife Roxanne finally made the decision to stop working with that vineyard. Luckily Lukas has continued this label with an exceptional old (1980 planting) single vineyard from the heart of the Paardeberg in the Swartland.
Lötter: the first new label this year is from the second oldest recorded red vineyard in South Africa. This 1932 planted Cinsaut from Franschhoek Lukas now shares with Gottfried Mocke of Boekenhoutskloof. The wine is named after Koos Lötter who planted the vineyard 90 years ago. A phenomenal wine sitting in a class of its own. A little bit ended up in Geronimo in 2021 also.
High Hopes: the second new label from vintage 2021 is a blend – Lukas’ first since the debut Graft, which was a Syrah/Cinsaut. High Hopes is a Swartland blend of Syrah (on shale), Grenache and Cinsaut. Lukas’ good friend Donovan Rall found a super unique vineyard near Porseleinberg and wanted to make the wine in Lukas’ cellar. Being a generous soul, Luksa didn’t charge him rent, but he did get his hands on some of those grapes. High Hopes is the result, blended with some Grenache and Cinsaut to mitigate the tannins from this extreme site.
100% Chenin Blanc
W.O Western Cape
Soil: Decomposed granite and Granite
Alcohol Vol: 13%
pH: 3.34
Total acidity: 6.1g/l
Christian Eedes: Struck-match reduction before pear, peach, dried herbs and some earthiness – all rather subtle. The palate possesses impressive structure – concentrated fruit, punchy acidity and just a little phenolic grip to the finish. Good depth of flavour and altogether rather forceful despite an alcohol of just 13%. 94/100.
In the vineyards
The grapes for this wine are sourced from two parcels in different regions; 60% from a block in the Paardeberg (Swartland) and 40% from the Polkadraai hills of Stellenbosch. The Paardeberg portion is from a bush vine vineyard planted on decomposed granite giving the wine its elegance, finesse, and focus. The portion from the Polkadraai is planted on Granite and lends characteristics of yellow fruit and depth to the wine.
In the cellar
The parcels are vinified separately before being blended just before bottling. Grapes were destemmed, pressed and left overnight to settle in stainless steel tanks. The wine is then racked to 3rd fill 500-litre French oak the next morning. The wine spent 10 months on its primary lees without any batonage before being blended and bottled. No commercial yeast or enzymes were used during the winemaking process.
Christian Eedes: Here the nose shows reduction that is more flinty before citrus, peach and thatch while the palate has great clarity of fruit, snappy acidity and a saline finish. It’s a beautifully poised wine if still very tightly wound. As with its counterpart above, there’s a sense that this needs at least another six months to start showing at their best. 95/100
In the vineyards
Dryland bushvine grapes planted in 1980 on decomposed granite vineyards on the western side of the Paardeberg. These old vines have through the decades adapted to survive and produce unbelievable grapes in these tough growing conditions. These grapes were picked when optimally ripe and produced a wine that’s very true to its terrior and place.
In the cellar
Grapes were destemmed, pressed, and left overnight to settle in stainless steel tanks. The wine was then racked to 3rd fill 500 litre French oak the next morning and spent 10 months on its primary lees without any batonage. No commercial yeast or enzymes were used during the winemaking process.
Van Loggerenberg 'Geronimo' 2021
100% Cinsaut
W.O Western Cape
Soil: Decomposed granite, clay-rich granite
Alcohol Vol: 12.5%
pH: 3.39
Total acidity: 5.3g/l
Christian Eedes: Top notes of potpourri, rose and fresh herbs on the nose before red currant, wild strawberry and spice. The palate is well delineated with pure fruit, vibrant acidity and fine tannins, the finish super-dry. Combines delicacy and energy to good effect. 94/100.
In the vineyards
The wine is made from 2 parcels, 87% of the grapes from a vineyard situated on the Rustenhof farm in the Firgrove area which was planted in 1978 and the remaining 13% from the second oldest vineyard in South Africa, planted in 1932 in Franschhoek. Both vineyards are made up of bush vines and are dryland farmed. Decomposed granite soils with under laying sandstone give this wine its elegance and finesse.
In the cellar
The grapes from the Rustenhof farm were 40% whole bunch fermented. The grapes from the Franschhoek parcel were destemmed. All grapes were left to ferment naturally with one punch down performed daily. The wines underwent malolactic fermentation in barrel. The barrels were blended after 9 months in old French oak barrels and bottled right after. The cinsaut is bottled earlier than our other red wines to maintain the crunchy fruit vibrancy unique to cinsaut. No enzymes or commercial yeast was used in making the wines.
Van Loggerenberg 'Lötter' 2021
100% Cinsaut
W.O Franschhoek
Soil: Decomposed granite with underlying sandstone
Alcohol Vol: 12,5%
pH: 3.49
Total acidity: 4,8g/l
Christian Eedes: Plums, cherries, hints of earth and modeling clay (plasticene). The palate shows good fruit density – it has a roundness about it without being weighty – while the acidity is bright and the tannins very fine. 93/100.
In the vineyards
The wine is made from the second oldest registered red wine vineyard in the country, planted in 1932 by Koos Lötter on his farm in Franschhoek. These old bush vines are dryland farmed and produce really exceptional fruit. The soils are decomposed granite with underlying sandstone, which gives this wine its elegance and finesse. This vineyard ripens very late and due to the really cool weather we had during the 2021 harvest, the fruit took even longer to ripen fully. These were the last grapes to come into the cellar for the year.
In the cellar
The grapes were 100% destemmed before crushing. All grapes were left to ferment naturally with one punch down performed daily. The wines underwent malolactic fermentation in concrete diamond cube. The wine was racked once after malolactic fermentation and returned to the concrete cube for 10 months before bottling. No enzymes or commercial yeasts were used in making the wines.
Van Loggerenberg 'Breton' 2021
100% Cabernet Franc
W.O Stellenbosch
Soil: Decomposed granite, with koffieklip in topsoil
Alcohol Vol: 13%
pH: 3.62
Total acidity: 5.2g/l
Christian Eedes: Archetypal aromatics of red and black berries, pencil shavings, rose violets and some herbaceousness – very expressive and attractive. The palate has good fruit density (more so than usual although it’s hardly what you would call “plush”) and the acidity is well integrated, the tannins fine-grained. Poise, verve and length. 95/100
In the vineyards
The wine is made up of two parcels, the majority from Klein Welmoed Farm (65%) which was planted in 2008 and the remaining 35% from Bluegum Grove Farm on the Vlaeberg Road planted in 2004. The grapes are picked and vinified separately and only blended before bottling. The two vineyards are planted on decomposed granite with Koffieklip in the top layer of soil.
In the cellar
30% of the final wine was whole bunch fermented while the destemmed grapes were left on their skins for two weeks after alcoholic fermentation to add depth to the mid palate. Only one punch down was done per day. After pressing, the three parcels underwent malolactic fermentation in barrel on their own. The different components were blended after 10 months in barrel and bottled right after. No enzymes or commercial yeasts were used in making the wines.
Van Loggerenberg 'High Hopes' 2021
86% Syrah, 10% Grenache, 4% Cinsaut
W.O Swartland
Soil: Schist and iron rich granite
Alcohol Vol: 12,5%
pH: 3.63
Total acidity: 5,4g/l
Christian Eedes: Red and black berries, olive, dried herbs and white pepper on the nose while the palate is medium bodied with fresh acidity and crunchy tannins. Showing purity of fruit and good length, this has a ready drinkability about it. 93/100.
In the vineyards
The Syrah is planted on schist soils in a low yielding vineyard which produced only 2,5 tons per Hectare in 2021 adding deeply concentrated flavours to the wine. The Grenache and Cinsaut components are planted on red soils which is rich in iron. These parcels give the final blend lovely perfume and elegance.
In the cellar
The Syrah was 30% wholebunch fermented and aged in large 500 Litre barrels. The Grenache and Cinsaut were destemmed before fermentation and aged in small barriques. Due to the extremely low yields on all three vineyards, one pump over was done daily to capture the essence of the wines. The components were then blended after 10 months in oak. No enzymes or fining agents were used in the making of the wine.
Christian Eedes: Truly beautiful aromatics including St Joseph’s lilies, red and black berries, fynbos, earth, pepper and clove while the palate shows great clarity of fruit, punchy acidity and fine tannins. A statuesque wine – muscular but not bulky. Great flavour intensity, harmonious and super-long on the finish. 98/100.
In the vineyards
The Syrah vineyard is planted on a southern slope with highly granitic soils on the Karibib farm in the Polkadraai hills.
In the cellar
The fruit was 100% whole bunch naturally fermented with one punch down performed daily. After pressing, the wine was transferred to barrels where it underwent malolactic fermentation. The barrels were blended after 10 months and bottled right after. No enzymes or commercial yeasts were used in making the wines.
Van Loggerenberg | Vintage 2021 Release
The 2021 vintage are overall the densest wines I've made to date.
— Lukas van Loggerenberg
VAN LOGGERENBERG
Vintage 2021 Release
The new vintage 2021 Van Loggerenberg wines are ready.
Lukas van Loggerenberg makes his wines on Paarl mountain, and sources most of his fruit from Stellenbosch with important parcels coming from Swartland and a new (old) vineyard in Franschhoek.
There is a luxuriousness and generosity to Lukas’ wines, but certainly not at the expense of balance or finesse. A total Loire Valley fanatic, both Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc are close to his heart. While Lukas is inspired by the likes of Touraine, Saumur, Chinon and Vouvray, he is certainly not out to produce replicas of these wines. His aim is to create great South African wines – quality is paramount.
Hopefully he can afford a new Burgundy Zalto glass soon (see pic above).
The BAD news
Let’s get the bad news out of the way first: yields were down in key vineyards this year. The worst hit wines were Trust Your Gut and Graft. Volumes are severely down from last year.
As frustrating as it is for everyone involved, that is the territory of vineyard-specific wines. We thank you in advance for your understanding.
The GOOD news
There are two new wines this year!! Lötter and High Hopes, AND we welcome the return of the Kameraderie label.
Kameraderie: as you will remember there was no Kameraderie from vintage 2020. The old Paarl vineyard Lukas had been lovingly tending was badly affected by a veldfire and ravaged by baboons. It had been a losing battle over the years to produce a yield from the vineyard that made any commercial sense. Lukas and his wife Roxanne finally made the decision to stop working with that vineyard. Luckily Lukas has continued this label with an exceptional old (1980 planting) single vineyard from the heart of the Paardeberg in the Swartland.
Lötter: the first new label this year is from the second oldest recorded red vineyard in South Africa. This 1932 planted Cinsaut from Franschhoek Lukas now shares with Gottfried Mocke of Boekenhoutskloof. The wine is named after Koos Lötter who planted the vineyard 90 years ago. A phenomenal wine sitting in a class of its own. A little bit ended up in Geronimo in 2021 also.
High Hopes: the second new label from vintage 2021 is a blend – Lukas’ first since the debut Graft, which was a Syrah/Cinsaut. High Hopes is a Swartland blend of Syrah (on shale), Grenache and Cinsaut. Lukas’ good friend Donovan Rall found a super unique vineyard near Porseleinberg and wanted to make the wine in Lukas’ cellar. Being a generous soul, Luksa didn’t charge him rent, but he did get his hands on some of those grapes. High Hopes is the result, blended with some Grenache and Cinsaut to mitigate the tannins from this extreme site.
The wines
Van Loggerenberg ‘Geronimo’ Cinsaut 2021
R325.00Van Loggerenberg 'Trust Your Gut' 2021
100% Chenin Blanc
W.O Western Cape
Soil: Decomposed granite and Granite
Alcohol Vol: 13%
pH: 3.34
Total acidity: 6.1g/l
Christian Eedes: Struck-match reduction before pear, peach, dried herbs and some earthiness – all rather subtle. The palate possesses impressive structure – concentrated fruit, punchy acidity and just a little phenolic grip to the finish. Good depth of flavour and altogether rather forceful despite an alcohol of just 13%. 94/100.
In the vineyards
The grapes for this wine are sourced from two parcels in different regions; 60% from a block in the Paardeberg (Swartland) and 40% from the Polkadraai hills of Stellenbosch. The Paardeberg portion is from a bush vine vineyard planted on decomposed granite giving the wine its elegance, finesse, and focus. The portion from the Polkadraai is planted on Granite and lends characteristics of yellow fruit and depth to the wine.
In the cellar
The parcels are vinified separately before being blended just before bottling. Grapes were destemmed, pressed and left overnight to settle in stainless steel tanks. The wine is then racked to 3rd fill 500-litre French oak the next morning. The wine spent 10 months on its primary lees without any batonage before being blended and bottled. No commercial yeast or enzymes were used during the winemaking process.
Van Loggerenberg 'Kameraderie' 2021
100% Chenin Blanc
W.O Swartland
Soil: decomposed granite
Alcohol Vol: 12,5%
pH: 3.32
Total acidity: 5.9g/l
Christian Eedes: Here the nose shows reduction that is more flinty before citrus, peach and thatch while the palate has great clarity of fruit, snappy acidity and a saline finish. It’s a beautifully poised wine if still very tightly wound. As with its counterpart above, there’s a sense that this needs at least another six months to start showing at their best. 95/100
In the vineyards
Dryland bushvine grapes planted in 1980 on decomposed granite vineyards on the western side of the Paardeberg. These old vines have through the decades adapted to survive and produce unbelievable grapes in these tough growing conditions. These grapes were picked when optimally ripe and produced a wine that’s very true to its terrior and place.
In the cellar
Grapes were destemmed, pressed, and left overnight to settle in stainless steel tanks. The wine was then racked to 3rd fill 500 litre French oak the next morning and spent 10 months on its primary lees without any batonage. No commercial yeast or enzymes were used during the winemaking process.
Van Loggerenberg 'Geronimo' 2021
100% Cinsaut
W.O Western Cape
Soil: Decomposed granite, clay-rich granite
Alcohol Vol: 12.5%
pH: 3.39
Total acidity: 5.3g/l
Christian Eedes: Top notes of potpourri, rose and fresh herbs on the nose before red currant, wild strawberry and spice. The palate is well delineated with pure fruit, vibrant acidity and fine tannins, the finish super-dry. Combines delicacy and energy to good effect. 94/100.
In the vineyards
The wine is made from 2 parcels, 87% of the grapes from a vineyard situated on the Rustenhof farm in the Firgrove area which was planted in 1978 and the remaining 13% from the second oldest vineyard in South Africa, planted in 1932 in Franschhoek. Both vineyards are made up of bush vines and are dryland farmed. Decomposed granite soils with under laying sandstone give this wine its elegance and finesse.
In the cellar
The grapes from the Rustenhof farm were 40% whole bunch fermented. The grapes from the Franschhoek parcel were destemmed. All grapes were left to ferment naturally with one punch down performed daily. The wines underwent malolactic fermentation in barrel. The barrels were blended after 9 months in old French oak barrels and bottled right after. The cinsaut is bottled earlier than our other red wines to maintain the crunchy fruit vibrancy unique to cinsaut. No enzymes or commercial yeast was used in making the wines.
Van Loggerenberg 'Lötter' 2021
100% Cinsaut
W.O Franschhoek
Soil: Decomposed granite with underlying sandstone
Alcohol Vol: 12,5%
pH: 3.49
Total acidity: 4,8g/l
Christian Eedes: Plums, cherries, hints of earth and modeling clay (plasticene). The palate shows good fruit density – it has a roundness about it without being weighty – while the acidity is bright and the tannins very fine. 93/100.
In the vineyards
The wine is made from the second oldest registered red wine vineyard in the country, planted in 1932 by Koos Lötter on his farm in Franschhoek. These old bush vines are dryland farmed and produce really exceptional fruit. The soils are decomposed granite with underlying sandstone, which gives this wine its elegance and finesse. This vineyard ripens very late and due to the really cool weather we had during the 2021 harvest, the fruit took even longer to ripen fully. These were the last grapes to come into the cellar for the year.
In the cellar
The grapes were 100% destemmed before crushing. All grapes were left to ferment naturally with one punch down performed daily. The wines underwent malolactic fermentation in concrete diamond cube. The wine was racked once after malolactic fermentation and returned to the concrete cube for 10 months before bottling. No enzymes or commercial yeasts were used in making the wines.
Van Loggerenberg 'Breton' 2021
100% Cabernet Franc
W.O Stellenbosch
Soil: Decomposed granite, with koffieklip in topsoil
Alcohol Vol: 13%
pH: 3.62
Total acidity: 5.2g/l
Christian Eedes: Archetypal aromatics of red and black berries, pencil shavings, rose violets and some herbaceousness – very expressive and attractive. The palate has good fruit density (more so than usual although it’s hardly what you would call “plush”) and the acidity is well integrated, the tannins fine-grained. Poise, verve and length. 95/100
In the vineyards
The wine is made up of two parcels, the majority from Klein Welmoed Farm (65%) which was planted in 2008 and the remaining 35% from Bluegum Grove Farm on the Vlaeberg Road planted in 2004. The grapes are picked and vinified separately and only blended before bottling. The two vineyards are planted on decomposed granite with Koffieklip in the top layer of soil.
In the cellar
30% of the final wine was whole bunch fermented while the destemmed grapes were left on their skins for two weeks after alcoholic fermentation to add depth to the mid palate. Only one punch down was done per day. After pressing, the three parcels underwent malolactic fermentation in barrel on their own. The different components were blended after 10 months in barrel and bottled right after. No enzymes or commercial yeasts were used in making the wines.
Van Loggerenberg 'High Hopes' 2021
86% Syrah, 10% Grenache, 4% Cinsaut
W.O Swartland
Soil: Schist and iron rich granite
Alcohol Vol: 12,5%
pH: 3.63
Total acidity: 5,4g/l
Christian Eedes: Red and black berries, olive, dried herbs and white pepper on the nose while the palate is medium bodied with fresh acidity and crunchy tannins. Showing purity of fruit and good length, this has a ready drinkability about it. 93/100.
In the vineyards
The Syrah is planted on schist soils in a low yielding vineyard which produced only 2,5 tons per Hectare in 2021 adding deeply concentrated flavours to the wine. The Grenache and Cinsaut components are planted on red soils which is rich in iron. These parcels give the final blend lovely perfume and elegance.
In the cellar
The Syrah was 30% wholebunch fermented and aged in large 500 Litre barrels. The Grenache and Cinsaut were destemmed before fermentation and aged in small barriques. Due to the extremely low yields on all three vineyards, one pump over was done daily to capture the essence of the wines. The components were then blended after 10 months in oak. No enzymes or fining agents were used in the making of the wine.
Van Loggerenberg 'Graft' 2021
100% Syrah
W.O Polkadraai hills
Soil: Granite rich soils
Alcohol Vol: 13.5% pH: 3.67
Total acidity: 5.3g/l
Christian Eedes: Truly beautiful aromatics including St Joseph’s lilies, red and black berries, fynbos, earth, pepper and clove while the palate shows great clarity of fruit, punchy acidity and fine tannins. A statuesque wine – muscular but not bulky. Great flavour intensity, harmonious and super-long on the finish. 98/100.
In the vineyards
The Syrah vineyard is planted on a southern slope with highly granitic soils on the Karibib farm in the Polkadraai hills.
In the cellar
The fruit was 100% whole bunch naturally fermented with one punch down performed daily. After pressing, the wine was transferred to barrels where it underwent malolactic fermentation. The barrels were blended after 10 months and bottled right after. No enzymes or commercial yeasts were used in making the wines.
Read more about Van Loggerenberg
Buy Van Loggerenberg wines
Please contact david@exanimo.co.za if you have any queries.