Decanter Gold – Forged from fire and rain
The fact that Doolhof Signatures Malbec 2008 recently won a Gold Medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards in London, which are generally regarded as the Oscars of the Wine World, is in itself an achievement, but considering it is the second consecutive year that consecutive vintages of this wine won gold makes it so much more of an achievement.
However, what make the 2008 vintage even more remarkable is the extraordinary circumstances under which the grapes were grown and the 2008 vintage harvested.
Blocks 12 and 13 on Doolhof, are planted to Malbec and are situated on a west facing slope, some 500 m below the historic Bainskloof road. The vineyard is in hostile area – it is the highest vineyard on Doolhof, against the steepest slope, exposed to the ravages of the South Easter and in the rockiest, meanest soil on the Estate. It is also most preferred by the troop of baboons that roam the slopes below Sneeuberg.
On the afternoon of Friday 8 February 2008 the wine making team visited the vineyard to decide if the grapes are ready to “pars” (harvest). The unanimous decision was that it was ready to “pars” on that following Monday.
As the team stood in the vineyard they saw a fire coming down the mountain from Bainskloof burning on the neighbouring farm. The fire was started earlier that afternoon by a motor accident on the Bainskloof road. By nigh fall the fire reached Doolhof and the veld on two sides of the Malbec was burning. The fire raged the whole of that night and was eventually put out late on Saturday afternoon. The workers of Doolhof, neighbours from adjacent farms and the fire brigade of Drakenstein municipality stood watch and protected the vineyards of Doolhof that night.
Needless to say after the fire the grapes were covered in soot and dust and it was thought that the crop was lost, or at least that the wine would be spoilt by smoke taint. But, as is quite often the case in the Boland , rain follows a strong South Easter, which is exactly what happened… by Sunday afternoon it was raining and the soot on the grapes were washed away.
On Monday the grapes looked terrible and the chemical analysis of the grapes was not promising – the acids dropped out and the pH to high, making it very difficult for winemaking. After much agonising it was decided to let the grapes hang and to see if nature can remedy the situation. Eventually the grapes were harvested two weeks later, when the grapes restored the natural acid balance and the pH improved. During these two weeks a permanent baboon guard was stationed at the vineyards because the baboons were hungry and looking for food, as their natural food source in the veld was destroyed by the fire.
After a gentle winemaking process with soft pump overs the wine was matured for 14 months in a selection of new and second fill French oak before it was bottled in November 2009.
Doolhof Malbec 2008 is a testimony to the axiom of “out of adversity cometh strength”.
Great result all of you at Doolhof. My wife, Vaughan, and I tasted your whole range when we had lunch with Dennis at the estate in November. We were so impressed with all of your red wines especially so the Malbec and your stunning Pinotages (in my opinion a revelation of a wine for this varietal). Well done again you can be most proud. When our wines come to market I hope we can achieve the quality that is coming out of Doolhof.
Tim Pearson
Seven Springs Vineyard
Hermanus