THERE IS more than one South African wine made using the Tannat variety of grapes, but they are very few and far between – and this one comes from grapes grown on an organic farm hundreds of kilometres from the heart of the winelands, a nine-hour drive from Cape Town. Prieska is in the Northern Cape, alongside the Orange River over 250km south-east of Upington, south-west of Kimberley. Remote, to put it mildly, Lowerland is owned by the family of Bertie and Alette Coetzee who farm in semi-arid conditions 1000m above sea level where the temperature ranges from -10°C to +40°C. There are 300 hectares under irrigation, of which the vineyards occupy just 9ha, only 1.4ha of which is planted to Tannat – the wine named after the tumbleweed (Tolbos) that blows across these lands.

The first single-varietal Tannat wine was made at Lowerland in 2013 and 2021 was the seventh vintage to be released. There isn’t a cellar on the farm as yet; the grapes are trucked all the way to Paarl for vinification. It was on the advice of family friend Stefan Gerber (of Boer & Brit Wines in Paarl) that the decision was taken to graft Tannat onto Ruby Cabernet, a variety popular among co-ops back in the day. Tannat would do well in this climate, a good niche wine, the Coetzees were told.

Said to have originated in south-west France, although some reckon north-west Spain, Tannat has become regarded as the ‘national grape’ of Uruguay. It has a late budding and ripening period, which makes it less prone to the late spring frosts. So all the Coetzees have to deal with then, apart from the very hot summers and rather cold winters, are the extended droughts, thunder showers and hailstorms…

LOWERLAND TOLBOS TANNAT 2021
WO Prieska. Vines planted in 2000 – alluvial clay with limestone base – the Tannat grafted on a few years later. Grapes destemmed before natural fermentation (wild yeast), with punch-downs once a day. After fermentation, the grapes were lightly pressed. The wine was aged in French oak barrels for 10 months – older wood ensuring that the fruit stays intact and the tannins aren’t dried out. Minimal sulphur added before bottling in November 2021 and the wine was bottle-aged for 18 months before release in 2023. Total production: 1148 bottles.
Alc 12.7 | RS 2.9 | TA 5.5 | pH 3.9
From Winemaker Lukas van Loggerenberg’s Tasting Notes: Dark black fruits on the nose with a liquorice finish. The palate is concentrated, with black fruits followed by dried tobacco notes. Tannins well balanced, soft, well rounded.
Food Suggestion: pair with a well-aged hard cheese at the end of a dinner party.
R355pb from the producer.

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
• Lemberg Hárslevelü
• Lozärn Carménère
• Newton Johnson Albarino
• Stellenbosch Vineyards Ltd Release Therona