Wine of the Week 50: Quoin Rock Simonsberg Blend 2020

“While the vineyards are where the magic starts, it’s in the cellar that the stories take shape…” This line from Quoin Rock’s latest harvest report is particularly true of the Stellenbosch estate’s Simonsberg Blend, where cellarmaster Schalk Opperman’s blending expertise proves to be storytelling gold… and gold too in the awards it regularly amasses: Double Gold at Gilbert & Gaillard, Gold at Concours Mondial Bruxelles and many more such accolades. “I want to build a wine that shows Simonsberg in its complete form,” he says. “Structured and expressive but with ample old-world finesse and class.”

He describes it as the best of Bordeaux meets the best of the Rhone. “It’s a Bordeaux wine, which is of course our main game and what the Simonsberg does best, but then blended with some of our top shiraz to make it a uniquely South African-style wine.”

The terroir

The exposed north-facing slopes of the Simonsberg mountain in and above the Knorhoek Valley around Quoin Rock have granite soils resting on thick layers of shale and get a cool Atlantic breeze in the summer months. Here blocks of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, shiraz, malbec, viognier and petit verdot develop bold flavours in the iron-rich soils and hot dry summers.  These are the same vineyards harvested for their limited-edition Quoin Rock Black Series wines.

“Each block of vineyard gets evaluated at the time of blending on an equal playing field,” says Schalk. “Then we select our top batches for our Black Series wines, after which we know what we have for the Simonsberg Blend. Quite a bit of this wine is made up of wines that would have made the cut for our Black Series range, but aren’t used simply due to volume limitations on the ultra-premium range. Without a doubt every single berry coming from this terroir and farmed by Nico Walters is of top quality.”

On blending

In the cellar Schalk has a hugely varied palette to work his magic. “On a macro level the vineyards share the same terroir and therefore bring a beautiful synergy and consistency to the wine,” he says. “But on a micro level each cultivar has various locations on the farm that differ in terms of aspects, height and row directions. Brought into the cellar we apply various techniques of fermentation and ageing within those batches.” The wines are aged separately for 21 months in a mix of French oak barrels and concrete vessels before blending.

“Thus we are creating a stock list of so many wines that our possibilities are endless. It’s in the blending and putting these wines together that the art side of winemaking comes together and that’s not something I can put on paper. Consider it a sixth sense developed over many years.”

He loves the challenge of making this blend. “It requires all your senses to be sharp, understanding the two styles of Bordeaux- and Rhone-driven wines, and blending them together with the two of them complimenting each other.”

Quoin Rock Simonsberg Blend 2020

The wine tasting notes weave a tale of rich dark fruit, tobacco and plums, a textured mid-palate of cranberries, peppercorns and spices, finishing with a long, structured velvet and juicy lusciousness.

“For me it’s a wine to be enjoyed every day without sacrificing quality,” says Schalk. “You can have it with a braai, or take it to dinner with your new father-in-law as well. It won’t let you down!”

Rewarding sipped on its own, it is also versatile with food, pairing beautifully with a variety of complex red meat dishes such as a braised lamb with cranberry reduction or a pepper-crusted steak.

Schalk adds, “Denis Gaiduk, my boss and owner of the estate, loves to refer to this wine as his Swiss Army knife. It’s versatile but top quality and all of this at a very competitive price.”
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