Fairview, Paarl Viognier

The Fairview estate is one of the oldest properties in South Africa, with vines first planted in 1699. It is situated approximately 50 kilometres from Cape Town, on the lower slopes of Paarl Mountain and was bought by Charles Back’s grandfather in 1937. The estate was subsequently run by his father, Cyril, before Charles took charge. Under Charles’ guidance, Fairview has been driven by an ethical philosophy based on social commitment, sustainability and conservation. The estate has a committee comprised of elected farm workers, who ensure equal opportunities by investing in education and training for the workers. In addition, they fund a company which allows the farm workers to make their own wine, lending them the use of Fairview’s winemaking facilities. While all its production is now certified as Fairtrade, Charles doesn’t advertise this as he wants to sell his wines on their quality. The excitement engendered by Fairview was recognised in 2014 when Charles was given the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by the International Wine Challenge. Though slightly alarmed to receive this award at just 58, Charles was happy to join the likes of Hugh Johnson, Peter Lehmann and Michael Broadbent as a recipient of such a prestigious award.

Fairview is a true pioneer of the region, credited with bringing Mediterranean varieties to the Cape. The wines continue to evolve in style under winemaker Anthony de Jager. By making minor improvements in the vineyard, such as opening the canopies to allow more sunlight on the grapes, Anthony is getting full ripeness at an earlier stage. In turn, this means earlier picking, creating red wines with more vibrancy and freshness. The Pinotage and ‘The Beacon’ Shiraz both benefit from this approach and get better and better with every new vintage. The ‘Lanner Hill’ Shiraz is sourced from a single vineyard in Darling. Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, this cool site produces wines akin to the Northern Rhône, with notes of black pepper, rosemary and fine-grained tannins.

For the white wines, Anthony is looking for full ripeness, especially with the Sauvignon Blanc. “We don’t want any green characters in our Sauvignons”, he says. As a result, ‘The Darling’ Sauvignon Blanc is more tropical in flavour, with lovely texture and depth on the palate. Equally exciting is the Chenin Blanc, with a fragrant, lime-zest character on both the nose and palate. The ‘Charles Back’ Brut is a complex and biscuity Méthode Cap Classique (MCC), blending Grenache Blanc, Viognier and Grenache Noir. It spends seven months ageing on its lees in stainless steel tanks before secondary fermentation in bottle. Disgorged after 36 months, the resulting sparkling wine displays lemon, soft white flowers and shortbread aromas, enlivened by a delicate green apple freshness. ‘La Beryl Blanc’ is an exceptional straw-dried sweet wine comprised of Chenin Blanc and Muscat. It combines intense tropical fruit aromas with delicate notes of clove, jasmine blossom and mouth-watering acidity.