Fabulous Sophie Schaal Tasting in South Ken cellar
Julien studied in Beaune and found himself the only one in the class not from a family of vignerons. His tutor found him work at Vieux Telegraphe and subsequently Bouchard Finlayson in South Africa. A spell at Newton Johnson followed and the family encouraged him to use their facilities to make his own Pinot and Chardonnay. He never looked back and, in the late noughties, struck a similar deal to make only Grand Cru Riesling in Alsace. Finally he has a winery, and a few vines of his own in the plum part that is Hunewihr. More recently he and his wife have introduced a range of varietal Alsace wines under the Sophie Schaal label.
Cremant d’Alsace
There are two types of Pinot Blanc. This is mostly from Pinot Gris, the higher acid, and so more suitable for sparkling wine. There is a little of the more common, and local to Alsace, Pinot Auxerrois. Soft lemon and sherbet with bright acidity. Low dosage keeps it to just 3 grams per litre of sugar and some barrel ageing on the Auxerrois gives depth and intensity. It’s a smart sparkler and we have found Alsace to be a great source of quality Cremant.
Riesling Grand Cru Sommerberg 2024
Unusual, ancient, decomposed granite (as found in many parts of the Cape that is perhaps the world’s oldest wine region in geological terms), that sits on top of hard limestone. This soil is almost unique and gives a classic, aromatic, mineral and definite lime fruit note. A wine to enjoy in relative youth.
Riesling Grand Cru Schoenberg 2024
Marl, rock and gypsum covered with clay/silt deposits. Very steep slopes. At Riquwihr, this is one of the original sites cited in many a medieval manuscript. Tends to a dense, full bodied, almost wet plaster consistency that is extremely persistent, with bright acidity and one of the more long lived Rieslings. Fruit style is so intense that it gives dried orange peel and even Vermouth notes!
Riesling Grand Cru Rosacker 2024
Perhaps the most noted Grand Cru in the village of Hunawihr, home of Clos St Hune. This is where Julien has made his new home and has some vines of his own. Classic, almost Montrachet like soils of a pure limestone base and a thin, iron rich clay loam topping. These soils that are mean but yield some of the most complex and perfectly balanced whites in Alsace. They are noted for the finest acids and so most age worthy wines. Floral, rose petal, botanical notes with ethereal, rose water and wild strawberry tastes. There is a feeling of compression or containment indicative of concentration and that age ability. A great wine of contrast and complexity.
Riesling Grand Cru Rangen 2024
An unique pimple of volcanic rock in southerly Alsace, Rangen offers a wine with an equally unique personality. Edgy, mineral, intense and with a twist of cordite and bonfire smoke. Berries tend to ripen later and develop these secondary characters to add to complexity. This is wiry, lithe and sinewy with lime juice vibrancy and that hint of smoke. 2024 seems to have captured the essence of Rangen beautifully.
Riesling Grand Cru Rangen 2023
A riper vintage for drinking now and shows the complexity and smoked spice notes that would develop in the 2024 given more time than this.
As a summary to the flight of Grand Crus I noted that none showed significant levels of that primary, lime and lemon fruit that you would expect in certainly the southern half of the Rhine valley (Rheingau and Rheinhessen) and the Nahe, and even more so in Clare Valley or southern Victoria. These wines offer a sense of place and time, before they express their varietal characters.
Pinot Noir 2025 Sophie Schaal
Mostly from their plot in Hunawihr with those clay and limestone ‘Burgundy’ soils. This is just outstanding. Something of a Volnay Santenots! 2025 was a ripe vintage and fully ripened stalks allow for more whole bunch fermentation. That leads to a natural, even and pure extraction and wines with alluring and aromatic substance.
Gewurztraminer 2025 Sophie Schaal
A little more restrained being grown on these limestone soils. It is not overly aromatic but still memorable. Such restraint is offset somewhat by leaving bunches to ripen for a few days longer. That increases both complexity and sugar content. This is on the sweet side (18g/l sugar), but, with so much intensity of spice, almost ginger spice, and complexity, that is not as noticeable as it might seem. A great gourmet wine.
Mountain View Chardonnay 2025 Elgin
Off to South Africa now and we are high in the mountains above Elgin on the south coast. Some of these vines are touching 1000m above sea level and there aren’t many examples of that aside from South America and Tibet! We buy from all of the few neighbours that Julien has here. Jessica Saurwien is a favourite. It’s an outstanding site and not easy to farm. Some is aged in old French barrels and the result is a white of distinction. High quality but tricky to judge when you’ve been drinking all those fine vins d’Alsace.
James Handford MW
