13,95 13,45
- Availability:
- 12
- Product Code:
- lozarn_carmenere
- Brand:
- Lozärn
A wine made from 100% Carménère from South Africa. This is unique in this region of the world, and it has turned out splendidly. The color is dark purple, and on the nose, you get a mineral scent, and after some aeration, earthy tones of coffee, mocha, vanilla, oak barrel, and old plums emerge. In the mouth, this wine has a very deep intense flavor! A typical 'You either love it or you hate it' wine. In the long finish, the dark fruit, cassis, plum, mocha, and cherry with the typical, hard-to-describe "taste of Africa" come through. This wine currently scores 4.3 out of 5 on Vivino. The winemaker also reclaims the title of winemaker of the year for the second time in a row. This wine, along with the Chardonnay from this house, is truly a discovery.
Serve with:
This wine pairs well with various dishes but is delicious on its own. If paired with a meal, it goes best with grilled red meat, goulash, or a hearty stew.
Storage:
The wine is drinkable when young but can certainly age for several more years.
Additional information:
Lozärn Winery is a true pioneer, being the first to plant Carménère in South Africa. The location was chosen very carefully. This grape variety covers only 8 hectares in the whole of South Africa.
In 2012, winemaker Salomé enjoyed a fine Chilean Carménère with her husband, Sybrand, and a true friend. It was love at first sight, leading to the planting of a Carménère vineyard two years later at Doornbosch. As far as they can tell, this is the first Carménère vineyard for South Africa. The wine bug had bitten, and the Chilean import was joined by several other Bordeaux cultivars along with Sauvignon Blanc.
Time to dig up a bit of family history that forms a parallel story in the Lozärn tale. In 1898, a daughter was born to Robert Müller and Amy Sedgwick in Fish Hoek, named Kathleen May. Her maternal grandfather was Captain James Sedgwick, founder of the famous Sedgwick's Old Brown sherry business. Kathleen's childhood was divided between Europe and South Africa, followed by studies at a horticultural school in Warwickshire. With the onset of World War I, her father served in the German army, leading to Kathleen, known as Kay, escaping on a troop train to Switzerland with her mother and sister, settling in Lucerne. This picturesque city quickly found a special place in Kay's heart.
Kathleen May married Sebastian Smuts in Harare, Zimbabwe, at the age of 21. Eventually, they moved to Somerset West, where Sebastian Smuts managed the extensive Vergelegen. Kay's desire to farm herself led to the purchase of land in the Robertson Valley in 1923, named after her fond memories, Lozarn; she mainly farmed ducks and chickens. Their only son, Ivan Sedgwick Smuts, eventually took over the farm and planted vineyards and orchards. He and his wife, Dianne Beard, had three sons, one of whom, Grant Smuts, now runs Lozärn with his sons Juan-Ivan and Sean-Grant, the fourth generation.
Lozärn, the Swiss-German pronunciation of Lucerne, was chosen as the wine brand, and labels are adorned with a skeletal image of a duck. Granny Kay is also honored with a beautiful Bordeaux-style red blend called Kay's Legacy.
The first vintages of the Lozärn range were released to an appreciative audience in late 2017. Success in the form of gold from the Michelangelo competition for the Sauvignon Blanc 2017 attests to quality and promises future success for this boutique range, crafted by winemaker Salomé Buys-Vermeulen.
Flagship Kay's Legacy 2017 is led by 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 28% Merlot, 55% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Carménère.
Carménère 2016 is the unique red, and this grape is also used to produce the 2017 Rosé. The alcohol content is kept at 12.5% with Carménère, along with that of the Rosé and the Sauvignon Blanc.
Winemaker Salomé, marking her 10th year in the industry in 2018, is both passionate and dedicated to her work, describing it as "sensory science." She articulates her achievements as follows: "After a full circle of seasons in the vineyard... You get to bottle your love and passion and share that vintage with others... Captured forever."
