The Eikeboom Winery Estate
Jannie is the 5th generation of Louws to have farmed Eikeboom (Eikeboom means “oak tree grove”), the ï¬rst being Jan Nicolaas in 1864. Known originally as de Eikenbomen, the farm has been in existence since the early 19th century, having been recorded by travellers at the time. It is beautifully situated near the small village of Hermon in the heart of the Boland, Western Cape, South Africa. The mountains, the Elandskloofberge, provide a spectacular visual backdrop.
Essentially a wheat farmer, Jannie has long had a passion for viticulture. Today he has resurrected the art of wine making as practised by his grandfather, Ou Jan ‘Ligtewyn’ whose reputation stemmed from the fact he produced a better quality vintage than normally obtained in the area at the time.
Jannie Louw is a Hobbyist winemaker. Jannie’s brother makes wine in Paarl at Baardeberg.
Production is low volume, high quality, in the garagiste style with Jannie taking meticulous care over all aspects. His range includes: Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay.
The Eikeboom Winery Vineyards
The Farm is around 900 hectares (Sheep, wheat, Cattle, and grapes.)
30 hectares of grapes. Production about 1,000 cases in total.
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Deep garnet in color. Baking spice aromas of cinnamon and clove are intertwined with dark stone fruits, blackberry pie, vanilla, white pepper and notes of oak and rose. A full bodied palate presents layers of dark black cherry, coffee, blackberry, dark currant and notes of milky chocolate. Beautifully rounded with an unctuous velvety mouth-feel. This refined wine is a sensational expression of what a Napa Valley Cabernet represents with a long, smooth finish and fine grained tannins.
Clos Saint-Jean is a 41-hectare estate in Châteauneuf-du-Pape run by brothers Vincent and Pascal Maurel. Considered by many critics and wine-writers as the preeminent estate espousing the modern style of winemaking in Châteauneuf, this cellar is one of the oldest in the region, having been founded in 1900 by the greatgreat-grandfather of Vincent and Pascal, Edmund Tacussel. A short time after its founding and well before the AOP of Chateauneuf-du-Pape was created in 1923, Edmund began bottling estate wines in 1910.
The farming at Clos Saint-Jean is fully sustainable due to the warm and dry climate, which prevents the need for chemical inputs. Instead, Vincent and Pascal employ organic methods for pest control, mainly pheromones, to prevent pests from taking up residence in their vines, a process called amusingly enough in French, confusion sexuelle. The vines tended manually, and harvest is conducted in several passes entirely by hand.
Deus ex Machina is a literary and dramatic term for a miraculous intervention that interrupts a logical course of events in a plot or play. A suitable name for a cuvée that had it’s start in the torrid vintage of 2003 when Philippe Cambie and Vincent Maurel made the decision to harvest at the end of September, weeks after their neighbors. Deus ex Machina is a blend of old vine Grenache from La Crau, aged in tank with equally ancient Mourvedre from the sandy soils of BoisDauphin aged in demi-muid. Deus ex Machina is only made in the best vintages.
Review:
Lastly, the 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Deus-Ex Machina shows a similar profile to the Combes des Fous, yet it brings another level of tannins and concentration. Kirsch liqueur, white flowers, sandalwood, cured meats, and graphite notes all shine here, and it's full-bodied, has a deep, layered, powerful, yet weightless profile, lots of ripe tannins, and a blockbuster of a finish. This ripe, sexy, seamless, incredibly impressive beauty will compete with anything in the vintage. As usual, this cuvée is 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvedre, which is brought up in roughly 40% new demi-muids.
Review: Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points