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Winemaking is, in some ways, a bit like gardening.
There’s the connection of choosing the right plants for the soil and conditions of climate, water, sunlight, altitude and so on, and how the plants are cared for — fertilising, pest control, when to prune, how much and when to water them.
That is why many a winemaker will say that their wines are “made in the vineyard”, with techniques in the cellar merely guiding nature into the bottle.
Viticulture, a specialised branch of horticulture concerned with the science and technology of cultivating grapes for winemaking, is a crucial element in “wine gardening”.
Most of the world’s wine grapes are grown on one species of grapevine, vitis vinifera, and this one species of plant produces around 4,000 or more varieties of grapes — the result of natural cross-pollination in the wild as well as human intervention in creating crosses and hybrids — giving a winemaker a vast array of choices of what to plant and where.
And then there are clones, where it gets really geeky.
The La Bri Chardonnay 2024 is the first vintage from a new block planted in 2016 (SUPPLIED)
To borrow an answer from Wine Spectator’s Dr Vinny (a great source of understandable answers to weird wine questions), a clone results from a grape grower identifying an individual vine with a specific trait, such as disease resistance, earlier ripening, desired berry size, or a particular flavour or aroma.
A cutting or bud is taken from the “mother” plant and grafted onto rootstock, creating a second plant genetically identical to the first, and resulting in a new clone of a particular grape variety.
This adds another layer of interest to the stories behind winemaking. Now it is not simply talking about one varietal, or a blend of varietals, but a single varietal wine.
Chardonnay, say, could be a blend of different clones, sometimes from different sites, each bringing a particular character and adding to the complexity of the wine.
The wine and gardening connection is visible in the wines of La Bri in Franschhoek, with each label displaying a black-and-white botanical illustration of a flower or plant that symbolises the characteristics of the wine, with the colour of the cap linking the colour of both flower and wine.
A conversation and tasting with La Bri winemaker Irene de Fleuriot (her surname derived from the French word for flower, perhaps a coincidence) takes the connection deeper as she enthuses about the different vineyards on the farm and what each brings to its vines and grapes.
Tasting La Bri Chardonnay 2024 becomes even more intriguing when she explains that this is the first vintage from a new block planted in 2016, a site and a selection of grapes she is confident will take the wine to the next level.
Clones come into the conversation too — the wine made from three clones, one a “pure” Chardonnay clone giving the classic aromas of citrus and white peach, and the other two Champagne Chardonnay clones which bring crisp acidity, texture and weight to the palate with lemon cream biscuitiness.
The wine’s liveliness, colour and floral notes are linked to the label illustration of buttercup clivias and, similarly, buttercup yellow closure.
After all that lead up, what’s the wine like? Creamy and classic, perfectly balancing bone-dry fresh acidity with fruit sweetness, fermentation in large oak barrels on the lees lending the creaminess and texture. Delicious. (±R200, Platter’s 4.5*).
The La Bri Affinity is is aromatic, evocative and expressive (SUPPLIED)
Different conditions in different years produce different results — the 2022 Merlot (±R200) coming from “a fruit year, rather than a structure year”, says De Fleuriot, the result a deeply aromatic wine with violets and smokiness leading into soft, silky, juicy fruit and dark chocolate, soft tannins woven around a dry backbone.
“A beautiful lady with character” reflected in the choice of flower illustration — the alluring amaryllis belladonna.
La Bri Affinity 2022 (±R250, great value for what it delivers) is aromatic, evocative, expressive, a golden thread that runs through the La Bri wines, a Bordeaux blend with rounded softness.
Plush, ripe berries touched with mocha on a velvety palate, made only in years when the components display the right affinity with each other.
The Double Door Petit Verdot from La Bri is a favourite of everyone who tastes it (SUPPLIED)
A favourite of De Fleuriot, and all who taste it, is her Double Door Petit Verdot 2024 (±R190, 94pt Platter’s 4.5*), a wine that just bounces out of the glass with perky berry aromas and abundant flavour.
As the winemaker says: “It’s like gummyberry juice! A fruit bomb that puts a smile on everyone’s face — crunchy and bouncy, a fun wine with a serious edge.”
A great result of “wine gardening” that packs a punchy glassful of berries and flowers.
The Herald
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