"Focus on one thing and do it to the best of your ability”, is Etienne le Riche’s winemaking mantra. Cabernet sauvignon is his life’s work and his signature cabernet has developed a deserved and enviable cult following.
His followers will be delighted with Le Riche’s 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. Le Riche's cabernets offer everything you want in a cabernet: lush fruit and accessibility when young; and superb elegance, finesse and harmony, with great balance and structure which contribute to their remarkable ageing potential.
Often referred to as the King of South African Cabernet Sauvignon, Etienne le Riche has consistently been making some of South Africa’s best cabernet sauvignon for over 30 years: during a glorious twenty-vintage winemaking era at Rustenberg Wines and, since 1996, on his own in true artisanal style at the tiny Leef op Hoop farm in the beautiful Jonkershoek Valley outside Stellenbosch.
More recently the weight of his crown has been lightened by his marketing-trained daughter, Yvonne, and his winemaker son, Christo. As a small family winery they have both spent many hours at their father’s side, in the vineyards and in the cellar, and they both now work fulltime at Le Riche Wines. They are the future of Le Riche Wines.
Le Riche Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
The Le Riche Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 is a wine that will mesmerise you. Before it was even released it earned a spot in the 2012 Top 100 SA Wines selection and it was rated one of SA’s Top 6 Cabernets by Classic Wine magazine.
Reserve status is only conferred if the grapes and resulting wine measure up to Etienne’s exceptionally high standard, which certainly was the case with this vintage. His approach to winemaking is traditionally simple, yet innovative.
“A wine in classic Cape cabernet style, the nose displaying hints of mint, cherries and spice. These are mirrored on the palate, which has a structure that is powerfully firm, with abundant sweet fruit, juicy tannins and a lingering finish. This wine is simply delicious, rich and succulent, and will reward handsomely with further ageing. This wine is drinking well already, but will benefit from a further 8-10 years of ageing”, says an exuberant Yvonne le Riche, who focuses on the marketing and sales of Le Riche Wines.
Yvonne Le Riche’s food pairing suggestions: Red meat, especially fillet or rump, on the coals or grilled.
Retail price: Retails nationally at specialist wine stores between R350 and R370.
Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
The grapes were selected from top growers in Stellenbosch, mainly from Jonkershoek vineyards and also from the Helderberg area, the Simonsberg mountain ward and Bottelary Hills. It is in essence a blend of Stellenbosch Cabernets.
The bouquet shows forthcoming ripe cherry aromas with a spiciness and touch of mint. Soft, smooth and velvety tannins are balanced on the palate by a firm structure and lingering, succulent finish. The wine will benefit from a further 4-to-6 years maturation.
Yvonne Le Riche’s food pairing suggestions: Hearty stews, lamb shank, venison pie and boeuf bourguignon.
Retail price: Retails nationally for ±R160.
The growth of Le Riche Wines
After two highly successful decades in the South African wine industry, during which Etienne was heralded as John Platter’s SA Wine Guide 1990 Wine Man of the Year, he decided to go it alone and pursue his dreams at a very modest, run-down cellar at Leef op Hoop, appropriately meaning Live on Hope. What it did have was tranquillity, a prerequisite for his deceptively simple approach to winemaking. He refurbished the derelict old cellar, which had been used as a tractor and tool shed for the past 30 years, installed good second-hand equipment and a small bottling line, and set about sourcing the best grapes for his wines. Since then the Le Riche cabernets have been made from the same component of Stellenbosch vineyards, each vineyard making a particular contribution to the final blend, with the wines always reflecting the true nature of the vintage.
Left: Le Riche's Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 promises something special ... as always!
“It’s the advantage of not having our own vineyards”, Etienne explains. “Access to different vineyards does wonders for the complexity of a wine. The gravel soils on lower slopes produce grapes that ripen early, offer low sugars, low acidity, and some mint and cherry flavours, while grapes from deep red hutton soils ripen later with higher sugar, higher alcohol and good balanced acidity and tannin, which add structure to the blend.”
The first wine produced on Leef op Hoop was the Le Riche Reserve Cabernet 1997. It was an immediate success, earning five stars in the annual John Platter guide, a Veritas Double Gold, was selected for SAA First Class and awarded the Air France Preteux Bourgeois Trophy – an amazing debut. The Le Riche Cabernet Reserve, standard Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Merlot blend have continued to reap rich rewards over the years, on both the international and local show circuit. The Le Riche Reserve Cabernet has always been the icon wine, being awarded 5 stars in the Platter’s SA Wine Guide for four vintages; the maiden 1997, then 1999, 2000 and 2005. Platter’s 2010 Guide also named the 2005 Reserve Cabernet their Red Wine of the Year.
Although Le Riche Wines have always been made using traditional methods and specialises in one varietal, the cabernet options are far from limited. “The more we specialise, the more we learn and the more creative we become”, says Etienne. Winemaker heir apparent, Christo le Riche continues, “We can specialise because of all the options available to us. With our grapes coming from four separate sites, we can make four different wines using various options of microclimates, soils, barrels and winemaking techniques. Each vintage we wonder how we can do things differently and better. But we like to believe that there is the same golden thread that runs through all our vintages: elegance and finesse and somewhere in between old-and new world.”
Each year, Le Riche Wines process approximately 60 tons of grapes, 90% of which is cabernet sauvignon, 5% merlot and 5% chardonnay. In addition to its Reserve Cabernet, Cabernet, and Cabernet Merlot blend, Le Riche also makes a wonderful Chardonnay. Produced every second year since 2006, this Chardonnay is typically understated, Burgundy-style: exuding buttery brioche and juicy ripe pear flavours.
Tastings are by appointment.
Email: wine@leriche.co.za
Tel/Fax: 021 887 0789
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how much is a 2009 Le Riche cabernet savignon please
Morning Sue, please check their website. Planet Wine is just an online publication about wine, food and travel. We're not a business. Kind regards
Plesse check their website.