Wine Region: Walker Bay

(2018) Emma is the daughter of Creation's owners, Jean-Claude and Carolyn Martin, and at 10 years old she was given a barrel of prime Pinot which, with some help from her dad, was her project to make as she learned the fundamentals of winemaking. Only 300 bottles were produced, as a real one-off and, I guess this bottle was a collectors item (up until I opened it, that is). But what a lovely Pinot: soft ruby in colour, with a beguling mix of floral and rose-hip lifted aromatics, creamy-rich black fruits and an undertow of coffee. There's a charming, forward fruitiness on the palate too, backed up with coffee and spice, unruffled tannins and good cherry-skin, tart acidity. Not available to purchase at time of writing, though Slurp is one stockist of the regular Creation Pinots, and use the wine-searcher link to see others.

(2017) It's nice to see Walker Bay on a label, as this important area southwest of Cape Town was once the hottest name in the country for cool-climate varieties. But a few years ago a new appellation called Hemel-en-Aarde was created within the Walker Bay area, and most producers switched to using that. There's something retro about the label of this wine, which is fitting. It's a crisp, easy-drinking 'somewhere in the middle' style of Sauvignon Blanc that would please those looking for a bit of Kiwi-like vibrancy and punch, but with a sweet tropical fruit core that is tempered slightly with a more European feel.

(2015) This is part of a more upmarket range made by Newton Johnson, one of my personal favourites in the Cape. This 13.5% alcohol Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from "Cape South Coast" so there could be fruit from such cool areas as Walker Bay, Elgin and Elim in here, but no clues are given on the label. It is bottled with a DIAM cork. Delightful nose, relatively restrained and creamy (could there be a touch of oak here?) with tropical fruit character coming through and just a hint of green herbs and minerals. In the mouth the punch and verve of the Sauvignon really comes through, with lots of fresh-squeezed citrus, but very far removed from the passion fruit and 'sweaty' character that can sometimes detract. More Loire-like in style, but finishes with lovely crispness.

(2015) Newton Johnson again make this Chardonnay, a Wine of Origin Upper Hemel-en-Aarde, closed with a DIAM cork. It also has 13.5% alcohol. It has an alluring nose, the crushed oatmeal and almond of fine French oak, juicy stone fruits and a burgeoning sense of more tropical ripeness. There's an orange rind hint of tang too. On the palate it is beautifully done: the creamy richness of the oak and the substantial weight of sweet fruit fill the mouth, but it is alert and juicy, a fresh-squeezed lemon or grapefruit zestiness running straight through the mid-palate and extending into a long, spicy and fruity finish. Clean as a whistle and perfectly balanced, it's a lovely Chardonnay.

(2015) Again from the Newton Johnson winery and a Wine of Origin Walker Bay, this has a natural cork and 14% alcohol, and the blend is not specified. On the nose it is intense and peppery, with a very deep pool of blue/black fruit suggesting the Rhône, or perhaps more towards Australian Shiraz. A delightful wine on the palate: this has a medium-bodied lightness in the mouth, the fresh and juicy fruit is copious, but it retains a fine edge of freshness and an alert character. Chocolate and cream, and a little toast fill out against smooth tannins in the finish of a very nice wine.

(2013) Tight, fresh, crisply fruited with citrus and apple, and has a touch of salty character. The palate is pin-sharp, with a real ripeness to the fruit hinting at tangerine, with really zippy, long finish and plenty of shimmering mineral acidity. Stays on lees for 9 - 11 months with stirring.

(2013) >From lighter soils where roots go deep, with 5% of clay beneath decomposed granite. Fresh and tobacco-spiced, lightly leafy nose, the oak has the usual exotic fragrance, with the inclusion of stems (possibly?) adding just nice little herbal notes that add another element of complexity. Wonderfully fresh on the palate too, with a sweet-fruited appeal. There's a lightness of touch to this with cherry and almost rose-hip elegance, and a lovely finish - long and beautifully poised.

(2013) Seems a little darker and more solid in colour. Seems a little bigger on the nose too (though alcohol identical) with rich berries tempered by some earthiness and hint of truffly development. The palate has really nice, sweet, full and rounded fruit, the berries and cherries filling the mouth, wrapped in a sheen of vanilla almost hinting at coffee, but then the elegant but quite pert and grippy tannins and acids freshen the finish. Very juicy again, and drinking very nicely.

(2013) The blend here is 60% Sangiovese,30% Nebbiolo, 10% Barbera. Ripe but also has a nice tang of tomato leaf giving a little welcome and bright edge to the fruit. Some creaminess, cherry and a bit of elegant cherry fruit with hints of tobacco and spice, nothing overtly oaky. The palate has a flood of sweet fruit: real juicy berries and fat red cherries, then a chocolaty infill from the oak is lovely, giving this a broad and full appeal, but the juice and freshness of the Italian grapes does freshen the finish nicely.

(2013) Seems to have a little more creaminess on the nose, a touch more fat, but a fine precise fruit quality. The palate has a really dry character - not so much of the tropical hint, a little more direct, but tantalisingly long and fresh again. A cooler, more dry and apple character.