Momento Paardeberg Grenache Noir 2023

Momento Paardeberg Grenache Noir

Region: Western Cape, South Africa

Vintage: 2023

Bottle size: 75cl

Grape: Grenache Noir

ABV: 13%

Aromas of red cherry, violets and subtle nutmeg on the nose. Akin to Pinot Noir, the palate reveals supple tannins, mouthwatering acidity and an elegant, moreish finish.

The fruit for this Grenache Noir is sourced from dry-farmed bush vines planted in the Paardeberg in the early 2000's, on decomposed granite soils, which contributes to an elegant and pure style. Grenache Noir’s drought resistance makes it well-suited to the warm and arid conditions of the Paardeberg and capable of retaining naturally high levels of acidity to temper the vines’ low-yielding intensity.

Marelise employs a minimalist approach in the cellar to retain an elegant and delicate expression of Grenache. The grapes were picked by hand in the early morning. The fruit was destemmed, with 30% kept as whole bunches and underwent four days of cold soaking on skins to develop the colour and flavours. Punch downs were done by hand twice a day during fermentation, for gentle extraction of supple tannins. After fermentation using indigenous yeasts, further manual punch downs were carried out for 10 days to extract the finer tannins. After a total of four weeks on skins, the grapes were gently pressed in an old basket press into old foudres for malolactic fermentation and maturation. The wine was bottled without fining after one year of ageing in old oak foudres.

Born from a passion for Mediterranean varieties and old-vine fruit, Momento is the solo project from dynamic winemaker Marelise Niemann. Marelise honed her craft at Beaumont Family Wines from 2007 to 2014, sharing cellar space with Crystallum’s Peter-Allan Finlayson and Thorne & Daughters’ John Thorne-Seccombe. She also worked extensively in California, the Rhône, Burgundy, and Portugal. Her fascination with Grenache was sparked in 2010 while in Priorat, where, together with winemaker Eben Sadie, she was impressed by the vibrant fruit produced by old vines. Returning to South Africa, she sought out parcels of old vine Grenache to make her own elegant and soulful wines. In 2023, she was named Tim Atkin’s ‘Young Winemaker of the Year’ in recognition of her work.