Mother Rock, Force Celeste Cinsault Swartland 2022

Johan Meyer, AKA “Stompie”, has made a name for himself in the ever-emerging South African wine industry in a very short time. While his namesake ‘Signature’ wines reflect his love of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Stompie is not one to limit himself and thus created the Mother Rock Wines wines in collaboration with his UK importer Ben Henshaw of Indigo Wines.

After seeing market quickly drink up the initial Force Majeure (Celeste in the U.S.) wines, they expanded the offerings to include a label called ‘Mother Rock,’ focused on discovering exceptional parcels of sustainably-farmed vines grown on a variety of soil types. The identity of these two ‘brands’ is rooted deep in the South African wine industry with Chenin Blanc at the root of the whites and field blends of the reds. These are terroir-focused wines made to offer drinkability and enjoyment, and it doesn’t hurt that the labels are beautiful.

Much like the ‘Signature’ wines, he has long-term contracts with some of the best growers in the Southern Cape determined to farm their sites organically. In the winery there is no SO2 added before or during fermentation but it’s a natural element that comes from the vines and you will always end up with some SO2 in the wines. That being said the wines are lightly sulfured before bottling for preservation and stability. Ultimately ‘Mother Rock’ is about showcasing the best and purest expression of South Africa’s diverse terroir.

100% Cinsault organically dry-farmed on 30 year old bush vine grown in granitic sand over ironstone.  The formula seems pretty simple but there hasn’t been much of this made in South Africa. Why? Because the ‘right’ touch coupled with the right grapes grown on the right site are not easy to come by. Hand-harvested cinsault from a south-eastern exposure site in Malmesbury was protected from oxygen after picking. Native yeast fermented, entirely whole bunch in stainless steel for two weeks with one additional week for post-ferment maceration to bring a bit more grip. After seven months on the gross lees it is racked to be bottled without filtration or fining. Less than 25 ppm of SO2 was added.

Vineyard: Single Site in Malmesbury
Soil Type: Granitic Sand over Ironstone
TA: 5.1 g/L
pH: 3.89
Residual Sugar: 1.8 g/L
Alcohol: 11%
Brix: 19º-23.5º
Oak: None - Stainless Steel
Production: 588 cases

(Organically dry-farmed 30 year old bush vine cinsault + granitic sand over ironstone) x whole bunch ferment ÷ oak-free = glou glou.

The formula seems pretty simple but there hasn’t been much of this made in South Africa. Why? Because the ‘right’ touch coupled with the right grapes grown on the right site are not easy to come by. Hand-harvested cinsault from a south-eastern exposure site in Malmesbury was protected from oxygen after picking. Native yeast fermented entirely whole bunch in stainless steel for two weeks with one additional week for post-ferment maceration to bring a bit more grip. After seven months on the gross lees it is racked to be bottled without filtration or fining. Less than 25 ppm of SO2 was added.

TASTING NOTES: Luminous purple. Upon getting your nose anywhere near the glass black cherries, cranberries and damson plum grab your attention. There are definitely underlying secondary aromas though of red rose petals, freshly opened red twizzlers and a newly carved pumpkin. Medium bodied, the palate echoes the nose with a touch of tarragon, white pepper and a dash of salt. It has some short tannins and reminiscent of very good Cru Beaujolais. Truly ‘vin de soif.’

ORGANIC. NATURAL. LOW-SULFITE. VEGAN.