A rather rare, very unusual wine… Lemberg Hárslevelü
AS RECENTLY as 2011, Lemberg Wine Estate didn’t have any Hárslevelü vines – the pioneering efforts by former proprietor Janey Muller in the 1980s having been pulled out by subsequent owner Klaus Schindler, who in turn sold the property in 2007 to current custodians Henk du Bruyn and Suzette van Rensburg, both determined to resurrect the “legacy”. Today there is once again some Hárslevelü on the farm, just over a hectare of it on this 32ha spread outside Tulbagh, the small block planted bit by bit in 2012, 2016 and 2018.
Very scarce in South Africa, the variety is one of the most widely planted grape vines in Hungary, renowned for teaming up with Furmint and Muscat in the blended sweet wines of Tokaj, although increasingly going solo as a dry white with good ageing potential.
Eager to get things back on track, Du Bruyn and Van Rensburg bottled their first Hárslevelü in 2012, made using grapes bought in from the neighbouring Montpellier farm. Only in the last few years, as the new plantings at Lemberg came into production and began to mature, has the wine begun to come into its own: the 2020 vintage highly recommended in Platter’s South African Wine Guide and the 2021 earning 5 Stars in the book.
LEMBERG HÁRSLEVELÜ 2021
WO Tulbagh. Single vineyard. Grapes harvested on 16 March 2021. Juice racked in oxidative manner, settled overnight and taken to older 500L and 600L barrels. Natural fermentation (wild yeast). Barrel maturation for six months before blending and bottling. 540 cases: 3240 bottles.
Alc 13.9 | RS 2.3 | TA 5.9 | pH 3.3
Winemaker’s Tasting Notes: Light straw colour. Citrus zest, peach and floral aromas that follow through on the palate with pithy length. Bracing freshness in its youth, although will develop depth and dimension for up to eight years of optimal cellaring.
R230pb ex-cellar.
Also in this series:
• AA Badenhorst Sout van die Aarde Palomino
• Ayama Vermentino
• Bosman Nero (d’Avola)
• DaschBosch Avon Clairette Blanche
• Diemersdal Grüner Veltliner
• Kloovenburg Lledoner Pelut
• Lowerland Tolbos Tannat
• Lozärn Carménère
• Newton Johnson Albariño
• Stellenbosch Vineyards Ltd Release Therona
Pinot Gris is the same variety as Pinot Grigio – the Italians prefer the latter, the French the former, and elsewhere in the world you’ll find both terms in use, sometimes with Grigio implying drier than Gris. While the French (Alsace) and Italians tend to produce the finest examples, it is also common to find it in Germany, the USA, Australia and New Zealand. In South Africa Pinot Gris is fairly scarce, with some of the better producers including Anthonij Rupert (Terra del Capo) in Franschhoek, Idiom near Sir Lowry’s Pass outside Somerset West, Usana in Stellenbosch and Val du Charron in Wellington.
Pinot Gris… I’ve just returned to South Africa from the UK where we enjoyed quite a few of these wines. I’ve not seen any of this variety in the Cape and wondered if they make it locally?