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Under the Influence is a wine community that loves great wine, and

learning more about it. Through Under the Influence you can buy

incredible wine from selected producers, meet the new First Growths,

join fun and interactive wine tastings and courses and watch our online

wine videos, the Wine Bandits! There has never been a better way to

discover and get Under the Influence of Great Wine!

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Issue 1—August 2009

The First Growths Issue

For those of you who have extracted this

distinguished newspaper from your First Growths

case, you are lucky, because you have six bottles

of incredible wine about to be drunk! You can

turn straight to the articles on the different

Estates.

For the rest of you, who maybe found this in someone’s Guest loo, or had it handed to you by an eager

Under the Influence employee, have a read below!

In this challenging economic climate we realised that people need to find wines that give

maximum bang for the buck. In our travels and tastings we have found the best wines to do

this are from small Estates, containing brilliant wine makers, who struggle to get their wines

out there. After extensive searching we found six Estates and put together the following

deal:

• A case of six bottles of wine, a bottle from each of our carefully selected First Growth

Estates for only R375 excluding delivery (30% off their normal retail price).

• You will immediately get R125 onto your First Growth account to use against future

purchases

• On future purchases you receive 20% cash back, which goes straight onto your First

Growths account to spend on the First Growth wines.

Why can we offer this? The First Growth Estates make incredible wine but these guys are small, so they

need people to taste their wines, and get the word out there! To achieve this, they want to get their wines

straight into your glasses. So, you only pay for whats in the glass, and don't have to cover for shelf space,

marketing campaigns or sales staff. Have a look at the First Growth Estates overleaf.

What are the First Growths?

tel: 021 438 4391 email: [email protected] web: www.undertheinfluence.co.za

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Kevin Grant (right) is the owner and wine maker of Ataraxia, a small

Estate in the Hemel and Aarde valley near Hermanus. Kevin’s passion and

experience in the region led to many accolades under his watch at

Hamilton Russell, and now he has struck out to make his own mark on the

world of wine! His aim at Ataraxia is to let the soil and climate of his

vineyards do the talking, as they express this unique place, rather than

using overbearing wine making techniques. So, his style is dictated by his

place and one is literally taking a sip of his terroir when tasting these great

wines. The word Ataraxia means “emotional tranquility”, something that

we find in every bottle!

Ataraxia



Ataraxia Serenity 2006 - Wine maker’s notes

The fruit used to make this wine was sourced from radical and individual

vineyards sites and is a seamless blend of classic red varietals yet the

emphasis is more on style than cultivar make-up. Cultivars are after all

merely vehicles of terroir expression and not necessarily the expression

of a wine itself. The grapes were handpicked, sorted and crushed into

open fermenters before maturing for 12 months in 40% new oak. The wine has a finely scented vibrant

nose with well-defined, lifted berry fruit and intriguing mineral notes characterise this wine. Refined,

polished tannins are wrapped in an elegant, spicy structure. Enjoy!

Belfield is a tiny 5 hectare property in Elgin

owned by Mike and Mel Kreft, who purchased it

in 2000. The farm was planted to fruit but after

extensive research and help from viticulturist

Paul Wallace, the decision was made to plant

red Bordeaux varietals. The well drained,

ironstone soils and warmer slopes, led to the

vision of creating elegant, soft, cooler climate

red wines. The tiny size of the property makes it easy to give the vines the attention they deserve. The

Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced 100% from a 1 hectare block on the farm.

Belfield

Belfield Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 - Wine maker’s notes

The nose, lingering and soft, together with the bright, fresh colour,

are the first impressions of this wine. A mouthful reveals a

smoothness which belies its tender age, together with dark black

berries, and some mint. Refreshing and a lovely long finish. Whilst

this well balanced, delicate wine can be enjoyed now, it will reveal its

full potential in 3-5 years.

Mike’s mugshot (above)

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Lammershoek reminds us of a small town, far away from anything, that

is going about its business, but doesn’t realise there is a string of gold

under the earth! For one, the farm is situated just next door to renowned

winemaker Eben Sadie, so it is a given that their Voor Perdeberg terroir is

exceptional. But, the proof is in the glass and the wines are truly superb.

We hope that the First Growths helps put this Estate on the map as the

Kretzel family have put in the hard work to get an understanding of their

soil and climate, coaxing the very best out of the vineyards. As big names

like Adi Banderhorst move into the area, the wines from the Perdeberg,

near Malmesbury, can only go from strength to strength.

Lammershoek



Lammershoek Roulette Blanc 2007—winemaker’s notes

Blend: 62 % Chenin Blanc, 26 % Chardonnay, 12 % Viognier. The Chenin Blanc

and Chardonnay and both harvested off old dry-land bush vines, yielding that

wonderful intensity of flavour. Careful berry selection, wild yeast

fermentation, careful use of oak and blending only at the final stage lead to a

wine that is complex and intriguing. Mineral and fruity, this is the most elegant vintage of this blend to

date. It has a lovely mouth-feel, taut acidity and great length. Having spent almost a year in bottle prior

to release, the oak is well integrated and un-showy. The wine is excellent paired with spicy meals, poultry

and ripe cheese, but is best with fish and shellfish.

Bruwer Raats is a bit of a legend around these parts. His wines are

consistently recognised as some of the finest coming out of South Africa, he

works hard to raise the profile of his and South African wines in general

overseas. Most importantly he is one of the best gents to have a glass or

two of wine with! Bruwer believes in focus when it comes to wine making

and planting vineyards. None of the fruit bowl effect here, with 10 varietals

on one property. At Raats he has focused purely on Chenin Blanc and

Cabernet Franc. His Chenin Blanc comes into two versions, your Original

Chenin Blanc, designed to be un-oaked and showing pure fruit, and his

Chenin Blanc, which has had a touch of oak. His unique soils bring out the

very best in this grape.

Raats

Raats Original Chenin Blanc 2008 - Wine maker’s notes

Original Chenin is crafted without the use of any oak in order to preserve the

wine’s “original,” vibrant fresh fruit character. It’s packed with succulent

flavours of apple, pineapple, and citrus, with hints of ginger, honeysuckle, and

orange blossom and a lovely minerality. This bright, tasty offering rivals the

finest Loire Valley Chenin Blancs. We especially recommend this wine to compliment Cape Malay Curry or

similar spicy dishes and sushi with wasabi. Also a perfect partner with oysters, but why wait for food? It

can be enjoyed now or stored for 4-5 years, but why wait at all?!

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Stark-Conde is a family owned business headed up by winemaker,

marketer and insightful tasting room host, Jose Conde. He is a self taught

winemaker, converting an interest and passion of the subject into superb

wine making skills, aided by a dose of stubbornness and “can do”

attitude! The family farm, Oude Nektar, is tucked up the Jonkershoek

Valley and the vineyards are nestled on high south facing slopes, with

dramatic views down the valley to Stellenbosch and Cape Town in the

distance. Jose uses traditional hands on wine making techniques and

works very carefully in the vineyard to ensure top quality grapes and

minimum interference in the cellar. The results are very special.

Stark-Conde



Stark-Conde Stellenbosch Syrah 2006—winemaker’s notes

This is a blend from 2 different elevation vineyards, the higher elevation

vineyard has a finely textured decomposed granite soil and tends to

produce a more elegant wine with softer tannin, while the lower

vineyard is very rocky and seems to give a denser, more tannic wine.

After 22 months barrel maturation, the wine was bottled without fining or filtration. Straight from

fermentation, I thought that 2006 was going to be a benchmark year for us for syrah. It was a vintage that

produced lushness and concentration, which I look for in syrah, but also with a degree of elegance that we

always want to express with our wines.

Tierhoek. Bring your GPS! This unique property is situated in the

Piekenierskloof, halfway between the breezy Atlantic, and the cool

Cederberg Mountains. In 2001, the property changed hands,

and the original farmhouse, as well as neglected 30yr old Chenin

Blanc vines, were restored back to working condition by Tony and

Shelley Sandell. The unique terroir is worked by the enthusiastic,

amiable and switched on winemaker, Roger Burton. He has made a selection of wines that have really

raised eyebrows amongst international wine fundis and the odd lost hiker who has stumbled on the place!

We are really excited by the “extreme terroir” that this farm displays in the wines. They are truly unique.

Tierhoek

Tierhoek Sauvignon Blanc 2008 - Wine maker’s notes

The Sauvignon Blanc 2008 comes from vines which are planted on the

cooler West facing slopes. Soils consist of weathered sandstone,

resulting in good drainage, and thereby forcing the young vines to push

their roots deeper in search of moisture thereby harnessing the

minerality that is so characteristic of Tierhoek wines. The wine also picks up flavours from the

surrounding Fynbos. Add to this the effect of a cool summer, and resulting prevalent acidity, and you

have all the conditions for wines of elegance and balance. At the cellar, a minimum-intervention approach

is maintained. The wine is kept on it's fine lees for 6 months, to add a touch of complexity, then

bottled. The wine has very good ageing capability, and is often best enjoyed when 2-3 years old.

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