A VINE TIME | French-SA connection embodied in ‘youthful’ Glenelly dates back centuries

The labels of the wines of Glenelly Estate in Stellenbosch have several stories to tell about both the youthful 21-year-old estate and more than two centuries and eight generations of French winemaking.

The Glenelly logo on every bottle is a quirky etching depicting a noble lady in Victorian riding habit, perched side-saddle on a rhinoceros while balancing a glass chalice — illustrating the estate’s key winemaking principles of elegance, power and balance.

The illustration is also a nod to the French-South African connection embodied in Glenelly, founded in 2003 by Madame May de Lencquesaing, an esteemed Bordeaux winemaker who at the age of 78 decided to start something completely new in wine’s New World by buying an old fruit farm in Stellenbosch and planting it with vines.

The glass chalice depicts her love of the art of glassmaking — her collection of more than 1,000 works is one of the largest such private collections in the world, dating from the Roman era to the present day, and housed in a purpose-built museum beneath the tasting room.

Along with a French-style bistro and spectacular views across the vineyard slopes to the mountains beyond, this makes Glenelly a must-visit destination in Stellenbosch for art, wine and food lovers.

The collection inspires Glenelly’s Glass Collection range, with etchings of the pieces on the labels.

“Glass and wine have a lot in common,” she is often quoted as saying.

“They both come from poor material and poor soils and through man’s talent and genius, they become works of art.”

Tucked away on the label is also a stamp motif stating “Vintners since 1783”, signifying the family’s almost 250-year involvement in the wine industry as vintners and wine producers.

Descended from one of Bordeaux’s oldest wine families, Madame, who turns 99 in 2024, is now the matriarch of a tribe of four children, 10 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren, the latter representing the eight generations of a French and South African winemaking dynasty.

Despite these French connections and influences, the aim at Glenelly is to make world-class wines authentically reflecting their South African terroir on the slopes of the Simonsberg.

“Trying to make French-style wines in South Africa would be pointless,” Glenelly CEO Nicolas Bureau, Lady May’s grandson, says emphatically.

“We are not shy though to make powerful wines, with elegance, power and balance always the watchwords,” he said.

Elegance shines through in the Syrah-derived Le Rosé de May 2022, a substantial wine in its own right rather than some halfway compromise between red and white.

Made in honour of Madame and her love of the classic Provencal rosés, dry and serious, the wine has no sulphur added in the winemaking process which, Bureau says, not only has health considerations for some but also helps to maintain the wine’s multidimensional character.

Beautifully fragrant, the wine has depth of fruit balanced with savoury notes, depth and texture, vibrant with a lingering finish (about R145).

The rosé is one of two Glenelly wines honouring Madame; the other is the flagship Lady May, a rich and refined, stately Bordeaux-style blend (R850 from the estate) known for regularly besting leading counterparts from Bordeaux, Tuscany, California and Australia in blind tastings.

The current available vintage is 2018, and this is a wine built to last, and last, and last.

Also built to last, but with the bonus of having been matured in bottle in the Glenelly cellars for five years, the signature red blend Estate Reserve (current vintage 2017, about R350) is always cabernet sauvignon-led, with other Bordeaux varietals and a healthy dollop of syrah adding an extra dimension to a blend based on the classic clarets of the 1700s.

A recently tasted 2016 showed no signs of tasting “old” or over-evolved, rather its potential was just at the starting point — freshness with rich, smooth tannins in support, ripe with aromas and flavours of deep dark berry fruits, fresh herbs, ready to drink but ageable.

Making it an ideal restaurant wine, Bureau says, “because we have already aged it for you”.

Alongside these, the Glenelly Glass Collection wines offer some of the best value-for-quality around, at about R150, aiming to showcase the Stellenbosch character of single noble varietals chardonnay, merlot, syrah, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc (the last priced for its scarcity at about R250).

Given the French connection plus the primacy of cabernet sauvignon in Stellenbosch, it’s a big focus at Glenelly, taking up almost 50% of the vineyards.

The Glass Collection Cab 2021 is “just singing now”, Bureau says — and he’s right of course.

Ripely fragrant nose, slightly minty, youthful and approachable with fruit purity and winegum notes, fresh and dried herbs, refined tannins — a real Glenelly signature.

WIN WIN WIN

Celebrate Mother’s Day with Glenelly giveaways

In honour of Glenelly’s owner, Madame May de Lencquesaing, and celebrating mothers everywhere, Glenelly Estate in Stellenbosch is offering Weekender readers the chance to win one of three bottles of their outstanding Le Rosé de May 2022. Just in time to gift a special mom in your life on Mothers’ Day, Sunday May 12.

To enter, send an email, with “Glenelly” in the subject line with your physical address and contact number to marketing@dispatch.co.za. Winners will be selected at random.

Entries close at midnight on Monday, April 29.