Johan Meyer, perhaps better known for his chardonnay and pinot noir bottlings under his own name, started Mother Rock to showcase South Africa’s chenin blanc and red field blends. Holocene grows at a single vineyard outside Malmesbury, a blend of half cinsault with about equal proportions of carignan and mourvèdre making up the remainder. Meyer ferments it as whole bunches and ages it for 10 months in used 500-liter barrels before bottling. The wine is almost feral—distinctly wild at first, even as its complexity shines through. A peppery tinge amps up the juicy red berries in the wine, calling up a memory of my first time gone strawberry picking, sat down in the field, hands and lips covered in juice.
92
Mother Rock 2017 Swartland Holocene
$33
Every week, our editors highlight a wine that intrigued them in our blind panel tastings, expanding on their tasting note in this space. These are entirely editorial choices; there are no paid placements. Subscribers can also access the original tasting note by searching here.
Corey Warren is the Tastings Editor in addition to covering the wines of the Loire, Southern France, Argentina and South Africa.
This story appears in the print issue of February 2021.
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