- 100% Grenache
- This was the first parcel that Marelise purchased in 2011 and is “core to her wine story”
- Low yielding bush-vines planted in the Paardeberg, Swartland
- Decomposed granite
- Gentle and minimum intervention with a ‘hands-off ’ approach
- Hand harvested in the early morning
- Bunches were destemmed into small fermenting tanks with 30% whole clusters
- 4 days of cold soaking before fermentation
- Fermented with indigenous yeast
- Punch downs were done by hand, twice a day
- 10 day Post-fermentation maceration
- A total of 4 weeks on the skins before the grapes were gently pressed with an old basket press into old Foudre for malolactic fermentation and maturation
- Total of 12 months in old French oak
- Bottled unfined
Info
Producer:
Vintage:
2022
Country:
South Africa
Region:
Swartland
Appellation:
Swartland
Variety:
Grenache
Color:
Red
Farming Practice:
Sustainable
Sizes Available
| Full Bottle | ZA-MOM-04-22 | 12/750ml |
Resources
Press & Reviews
Decanter
Score
96
Date
2025-01-03
"Among the rooibos and citrus in the high-altitude Piekenierskloof you can find South Africa's oldest, dryland Grenache vines, so muscled they are sometimes called 'booms', Afrikaans for trees. Grenache-whisperer Marelise Niemann has channelled the spirit of the place; pretty and detailed aromatics of fynbos, mountain sage and rose petals, with strawberry freshness and a brooding mulberry heart. The use of 20% whole cluster threads in cinnamon spice along a seam of powder-soft tannins. Dry, long and undemanding, this bottle empties quickly."
Vinous
Score
92
Date
2023-08-01
"The 2022 Grenache Noir contains 20% stems and undergoes a natural fermentation, three weeks on the skins, and matures 16 months in used 225-liter oak barrels. It has a lovely bouquet with detailed red cherries and crushed strawberry fruit, a little gravelly scent in the background, and later light orange blossom aromas. The palate is well-balanced with finely chiseled tannins, open and transparent with gentle grip and more persistency on the finish, plus a residual pepperiness that is very appealing."
REVIEWS FROM PAST VINTAGES
2021
Decanter
Score
95
Date
2024-03-30
"A radiant Grenache, glowing with a healthy ruby colour, releasing scents of rose petal, pomegranate and fresh raspberry on the nose. The palate is suffused with powdery tannins, tapered and crisp, and the wine is refined and perfumed, with admirable freshness. There,s no hint of booziness or caramelisation here, but neither is there any leaness, greenness or asperity to the flavour. Perfectly judged and deliciously transparent Grenache that,s especially good in 2021. Grapes for this wine come from the Langkloof farm in Swartland. It was planted as bush vines in 2002, using cuttings from the oldest Grenache vineyard in the Cape, which itself was planted in 1952 using an old Grenache clone with thicker skins. The approach here is gentle and low-extraction with minimal working of the grapes. Marelise uses around one-third whole bunches, with the rest foot-trodden and added on top in the fermenter. There follows a cold soak four days, then spontaneous ferment (as with all Momento wines) and gentle punch downs twice a day by hand. It ferments slowly in small open-top tanks. Including a post-ferment maceration, the juice spends four weeks on skins, and then the wine is matured in 4,000-litre foudres for 16 months, with some time in bottle before release. If you've never tried this wine, pick it up in this vintage."
2021
Vinous
Score
91
Date
2023-11-02
"The 2021 Grenache Noir comes from Paadeberg in Swartland, 30% whole bunches aged 16 months in 500-liter French oak and Stockinger barrels. It has a charming cherry liqueur and crushed strawberry-scented nose. The palate is soft and supple, just missing a bit of backbone towards the finish, but there is impressive volume and a sensual mouthfeel. Lovely."