A.A. Badenhorst Ramnasgras Cinsault 2023
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The Land
The Swartland reads as hot, dry, and flat from a distance, and the Paardeberg corrects that impression. The mountain is a granite pluton rising out of the wheat country between Malmesbury and Wellington, and the Badenhorst farms climb its slopes from 180 to 330 meters. Ramnasgras is a single 1.6-hectare parcel of old bush vines facing southeast, planted in decomposed granite. Granite here is a specific kind of luck: it drains hard, holds almost no nutrient, and forces vines to root deep, which is what keeps a naturally high-yielding variety like Cinsault honest. The vineyard takes its name from a seasonal ground cover sown between the rows. The vines are trained as bush vines, unstaked, and the farm is worked largely without irrigation, on winter rainfall alone.
The Wine
One hundred percent Cinsault. Whole bunches go into seasoned old wooden vats and ferment on indigenous yeast, pumped over once a day, then pressed off as fermentation finishes. The wine spends 12 months in a large foudre and is bottled straight off its gross lees. It lands at 12 percent alcohol with 4.4 grams per liter total acidity and 1.7 grams residual sugar. Red cherry and raspberry, damp earth, and a peppery edge lead into a light-bodied red with real grip and fine, soft tannins. Serve it cool. The 2023 vintage across the Cape was long and cool with no significant heat waves; the Swartland crop came in about 15 percent smaller than 2022, and grapes reached full ripeness at lower sugars with low pH and high natural acidity. The 12 percent alcohol here is the vintage talking.
The People
Adi Badenhorst is fourth-generation Cape wine. His grandfather managed Groot Constantia for 46 years, and his father was born on that estate and later farmed at Buitenverwachting and Constantia Uitsig. Adi trained at Elsenburg, worked harvests at Château Angélus, Alain Graillot in the northern Rhône, and Wither Hills in New Zealand, then spent nine years as winemaker at Rustenberg in Stellenbosch and left. In 2007 and 2008 he and his cousin Hein bought Kalmoesfontein, a run-down Paardeberg farm whose cellar had not crushed a grape since the 1930s. Cinsault helped get them there. Long dismissed as a bulk grape, it went unreplanted for decades, which is why old parcels survived here.
Food Pairing
Cinsault at 12 percent alcohol with acidity like this belongs on the table with food that has char and spice but not weight. Lamb sosaties off the grill, cubed and marinated with apricot and curry spice, is the home pairing, and it works because the wine's red fruit meets the apricot head-on. Duck breast with a sour cherry pan sauce echoes the fruit directly. A mushroom and thyme tart picks up the earthy side. Grilled sardines with lemon and olive oil are not a stretch either, since the tannins are soft enough to sit beside oily fish. Chill it twenty minutes and it becomes the red you drink all summer without apologizing for it.
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Weather shipping advisory: Orders placed during times of extreme heat or extreme cold will be held for no charge until more favorable weather returns.
The Coastal Region of South Africa encompasses the majority of the country's renowned wine districts, presenting a diverse array of soils and climates shaped by both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. This region is home to several distinct areas each with its own unique identity. Stellenbosch, steeped in winemaking history and research, is known for its blends and is a key educational center for viticulture. Paarl, north of Stellenbosch, benefits from the Berg River and produces a wide variety of grapes. The Cape Town district, recently designated, includes wards like Constantia with its cool climate and historic Constantia valley, and the coastal wards of Durbanville and Philadelphia, and the more distant darling, all of which contribute to the region's diverse offerings. Finally, Swartland, traditionally a grain-producing area, has seen a rise in quality wines with its terroir-driven focus, particularly with producers in the Swartland Independent Producers group.
South Africa - Coastal Region
Cinsault, a heat-tolerant red wine grape, flourishes in southern France and is also making significant strides in Chile, particularly in the Itata Valley. Known for its high yields, Cinsault in France is a staple in the aromatic profiles of Languedoc-Roussillon wines and Provençal rosés, where it imparts delicate red fruit flavors and floral notes. In Chile, Cinsault is increasingly appreciated as a standalone varietal wine, celebrated for its bright acidity, red berry flavors, and soft tannins. This adaptability makes it a favorite for crafting approachable, easy-to-drink wines, particularly appealing in its pure, unblended form in the Itata Valley, marking a distinctive presence in the wine landscape.
