Quoin Rock is a 158 hectare wine estate located on the scenic Simonsberg foothills.  This modern and beautiful facility was started in 1998 when the land was purchased (subdivided) from the historic Knorhoek Estate, by a group led by Glasgow born Dave King.  They then went about building a fantastic winery and cellar facilities, an enormous manor house and the necessary farming infrastructure.  Although some older vines were retained, most of the land was totally replanted to grape cultivars between 2000-2002.  These vines were made up of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mouvedre, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc.  The new winery saw its’ first vintage in 2001.

The home vineyard is planted on the mainly southerly facing slopes of the Simonsberg foothills.  The elevation ranges from 100-550 meters above sea level.  These high altitude slopes provide a potent cooling effect and the high winds at this height needed to be addressed when managing the site.  The soils are a rich red decomposed granite that are very deep, and highly suitable for viticulture.  Quoin Rock also owns and manages a vineyard in Cape Agulhas.  At this vineyard, cool climate Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Merlot are produced.  This is the site where fruit for their impressive “Cap Classique” Sparkling wine is grown.

The winemaking and management of the winery is undertaken by talented young winemaker Carl van der Merwe.  Carl was trained at Stellenbosch University and has developed an impressive reputation over the last few years.  He likes to use natural fermentations wherever possible, choosing to inoculate only if a ferment is not progressing to his satisfaction.  A state of the art winery with lots of room along with fantastic grapes allows him to weave his magic.  Close attention is paid to creating unique and interesting wines with layers of complexity.  This includes their wonderful “Oculus” white, which is an unusual blend of barrel fermented Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier.  The red wines are all excellent across the board with nice use of high quality oak and concentrated fruit.  This is a serious wine estate, with a great winemaker and unlimited potential.

Wines from this Winery:

2005 Syrah

 

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2005 Syrah

The bouquet is ripe and brooding, with flavours of plum pudding, quince, licorice and white pepper. The palate is full bodied with excellent intensity. The structure of the wine is soft and finely grained, indicative of ripe, well made Syrah. The wine finishes with good length and slight licorice warmth.  This is a very impressive version of the grape, and one of the finest South African Syrahs I have tried to date. Drink now to 2017. (92 points)

 

2006 Sparkling Wine

 

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2006 Sparkling Wine

The wine in the glass appears vibrant and shows excellent clarity and remarkably good bead. The aromas exhibit flavours of fresh strawberries, granny smith apples, buttered toast, almonds and biscuit-like complexity. The palate is crisp, medium bodied, with persistent mousse and a clean toasty finish. This wine was made traditionally using Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from their new cool climate vineyard in Cape Agulhas. This is an excellent inaugural release with exciting prospects in the years to come. Drink now to 2019. (92 points)