Wine of the Week 48: Joostenberg Estate Bakermat 2021

“Fine wine is about soil, environment and place. To express that fully, you have to work with nature, not against it,” says Tyrrel Myburgh. Five generations of Myburghs have farmed Joostenberg. Located within the Paarl region, just bordering Stellenbosch, the farm is certified organic, has older dry-farmed vineyards and sustainability is a thread running through everything they do.

The farm also plays host to one of the best delis in the country, a bistro-style restaurant and a brewery; while the second half of the property (on the opposite side of the N1) is home to The Kraal, a farm-to-table-style restaurant housed in a converted dairy shed.

Tyrell has spent his whole life on Joostenberg; he even says he proposed to his wife, Anette, in an old chenin block planted in 1989. Not only do the pair share a love of the land and a commitment to sustainability, but also “two amazing sons”, as well as an entire menagerie, chickens included.

A love for southern Rhône reds

Joostenberg makes a number of estate wines, and shows an adept hand particularly with Rhône varieties. Grenache as a blending component, as well as for a special, limited, single-varietal bottling, is becoming increasingly important.

“I fell in love with grenache blends from the southern Rhône, especially from Gigondas. The Swartland take, specifically Badenhorst Family Wines and David & Nadia Wines, showed me that grenache doesn’t have to be big and jammy,” shares Tyrell. “I’ve also visited Gredos in Spain and they blew my mind with their ancient vines and delicious wines. For Joostenberg I planted it specifically as a blending partner for syrah and mourvèdre. It adds a balancing counterpoint, a kind of lightness without a lack of tannic structure, to the fruity-velvety side of syrah, and the brooding earthiness of mourvèdre.”

Joostenberg Estate Bakermat 2021

Bakermat translates to “birthplace” or “cradle” in Dutch, and this wine is in tribute to Joostenberg, home to the Myburghs for many generations. It’s an intriguing blend of syrah (56%), cabernet sauvignon (11%), mourvédre (22%) and grenache noir (11%). Perfumed with tomato leaf, roses and wild, juicy berries, the wine pulls you into a velvet embrace of just-brushed tannins. Deceptively gentle the structure is carved with arresting freshness, along a dry, mineral spine complete with a savoury finish. Made in a minimally interventionist style.
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