Minimalist Wines: Embracing Simplicity and Elegance in Winemaking

I had the pleasure of meeting winemaker Sam Lambson of Minimalist Wines at a tasting at Saam restaurant in Amstelveen. Thanks to Sam and Import Benier Global Wines, I also got the opportunity to do a deep dive into the wines at home. Trying out these amazing Minimalist wines blew me away! These wines genuinely embrace simplicity and elegance, showcasing the pure essence of the grape varieties and the unique terroirs they come from.

From the smooth and fruity reds to the crisp and refreshing whites, every sip was a delightful experience. The minimal intervention winemaking techniques allow the natural flavors to shine through, resulting in wines that are honest, balanced, and full of character.

Whether you’re a wine connoisseur or appreciate a good glass of wine, I highly recommend trying these Minimalist wines. They are a true testament to the art of winemaking and will elevate your wine-drinking experience to a whole new level.

The Philosophy of Minimalist Wines

The philosophy of innovative winemaker Sam is to work with minimal intervention. He creates his own natural yeasts from the vineyard and only works with natural vines in a pure, clean, terroir-driven way.

Due to its diverse influences, the Western Cape is ideal for blending various flavors. His innovative approach starts when you open the bottle with a rocket on the cork—just love it! Sam uses drones on different plots to monitor vineyard needs and innovatively links various data to create fantastic natural wine.

Whats coming in the future?

Sam is building his own winery with his own vineyard. So, in the upcoming years, we can expect a lot of new things from Minimalist wines: new blends, new wines, more innovative solutions, and, of course, wine from his own vineyards. I am looking forward to tasting the new things that are coming.

My tasting notes of the wines

Big shoutout to Import Benier Global Wines for letting me taste these wines again, but this time, in the comfort of my home. It was even better because of Sam’s remarkable stories. My tasting memory totally came alive like never before.

EXPERIMENTAL BLANC 2022 (90/100)

Trying new things is essential to personal growth. Sam focuses on Syrah but also bottles small batches under the label EXPERIMENTAL. Vineyards include Stellenbosch Polkadraai Hills for Chardonnay, Stellenbosch Bottleray for Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch Bonniemile for Muscat, Stellenbosch Helderberg for 2020 Reserve Chardonnay, and Elgin Groenlandberg for Riesling.

The Coastal White blend includes 34% Stellenbosch Chardonnay (skin fermented for 11 days), 9% Stellenbosch Chardonnay, 26% Stellenbosch Old Vine Chenin, 17% Stellenbosch Old Vine Muscat (fermented for seven days on skins and stems), 11% 2020 Reserve Chardonnay, and 3% Elgin Riesling. Grapes are harvested early and transported in refrigerated trucks. They are cooled overnight before whole-bunch pressing or crushing. Natural fermentation occurs in barrels. Vineyards are kept separate, matured on lees, racked, blended in spring, and bottled in January.

The color is a deep, vibrant lemon yellow. The aromas are super fruity, with hints of lemon, lemon peel, apple, pear, vanilla, peach, apricot, melon, mango, passion fruit, and even a bit of toast. It’s got that buttery, developing vibe. The taste brings out all those same fruits and flavors, with a dry profile, medium acidity, medium alcohol, a nice medium-plus body, and pretty intense flavors. The finish is long and satisfying.

It’s delicious and perfect to drink right now, but it can still age nicely.

EXPERIMENTAL NOIR 2022 (88/100)

This is the red EXPERIMENTAL, a 100% Grenache Noir from Botriver, Overberg, with sandstone soils. The blend is one-third whole bunch, one-third whole berry, and one-third destemmed. Sam chose to keep its purity and elegance without adding Syrah. Harvesting starts early morning, with grapes picked into 14kg boxes and cooled overnight in refrigerated trucks. After gentle foot-stomping and crushing, natural fermentation begins in open and closed fermenters. Post-fermentation, they macerate with a daily pumpover or punchdown.

The color is a light ruby red. The aromas hint at raspberry, strawberry, forest floor, damp earth, mushroom, orange peel, black currant, blackberry, leather, and red cherry. The palate is fresh and earthy with blackberry flavors, medium tannins, medium (+) acidity, medium (-) body, and medium (-) flavor intensity. The finish is medium, and the alcohol level is average.

It’s good to drink now, but it can still age.

CONNECT THE DOTS 2021 (95/100)

Vineyard life is an expedition that connects people, places, ideas, and experiences to Sam. Exploring Syrah in the Cape’s cool micro-climates is his passion. This label represents his quest to find the best sites in the Winelands. Working closely with farmers who share his enthusiasm for Syrah and precision viticulture, the idea is to provide a snapshot of Cape Syrah in a given year and to fuse the results in a bottle. In other words, to Connect The Dots. The blend is 100% Syrah with a new addition from Agulhas: 84% Elgin, 9% Agulhas, and 7% Stellenbosch. It was a cool vintage, with a slow start and high humidity causing challenges, but the result is an intensely colored, decadent wine. Grapes are harvested in the cool morning, cooled overnight, and gently processed. Natural fermentation occurs in open and closed fermenters, with daily gentle maceration.

The wine has a nice medium ruby-red color. The nose is super intense with hints of plum, dried plum, black cherry, blackberry, laurel, forest fruits, blueberry, black currant leaf, smoky notes, vanilla, clove, wild peach, coffee, chocolate, cocoa, coconut, rosemary, wet leaves, black pepper, cinnamon, cinnamon roll, butter, and cedarwood. On the palate, it’s dry with medium-high acidity, medium-high tannins, medium alcohol, a full body, medium flavor intensity, and a long finish. You’ll notice nutmeg and a bit of bitterness in the finish, along with red and black currants.

Overall, it’s excellent to drink now but can still age. Wow, what a great wine this is!!!

STARS IN THE DARK 2021 (93/100)

“Some of the best things in life emerge from tough times and dark places.” This message on the label reflects the harsh growing conditions at the southern tip of Africa, yet the resilience of Syrah vines from Cape Agulhas is remarkable. The fruit was harvested from two cool climates, low-altitude Syrah parcels, 8km from the coast. One 21-year-old parcel is on clay soil, and the other (22-year-old) is on Koffieklip soil. The fruit was matured for 10 months in neutral French oak barrels. The vintage faced a hot dry spell in August, a cool spring, early leaf fall, uneven bud burst, persistent wind, and frequent showers during flowering. Late-season humidity caused Botrytis and Mildew, delaying harvest by three weeks. Despite reduced yield, vineyard attentiveness paid off.

The color is an excellent medium ruby red. The aroma is pretty intense with hints of eucalyptus, spices, cough syrup, black cherry, blackberries, laurel, forest fruits, blueberries, black currant leaf, vanilla, cocoa, rosemary, wet leaves, black pepper, green pepper, leather, cacao, tomato leaf, and tomatoes. The palate is dry with medium-high acidity, high tannins, medium alcohol, and a full body. The finish is long with notes of nutmeg, bitterness, and black pepper.

Overall, it’s really good. It’s fantastic to drink now, but it can still age a bit.

No place like home 2021 (95/100)

No Place Like Home is the second single-origin Syrah from Minimalist Wine, showcasing the cool-climate Elgin Valley, complementing Stars In The Dark from Cape Agulhas. The grapes come from a 3-hectare vineyard in Elgin, planted in 2006 on Sandstone and Shale soils, and are leased and farmed by them. Using drone technology and soil analysis, they identified four distinct pockets in the vineyard and harvested and fermented them separately before blending. This careful process results in a complex and intense wine with minimal intervention. Each pick was fermented over two weeks with 20% whole bunch and daily punch downs, then aged in neutral 228L French Oak for 16 months. Syrah thrives in Elgin, but farmers often replace vines with more profitable apple orchards. Leasing Niemandsrivier is their first step in preserving Syrah vineyards, aiming to explore its full potential and make it their forever home.

The wine’s got this medium garnet-red color. The aroma is pretty intense, with hints of cough syrup, gasoline, wet leaves, red cherries, blackberries, forest fruits, black cherries, and black pepper. You can also pick up on laurel, sage, cinnamon, cinnamon roll, earthy vibes, wet clay, leather, cacao, forest mushrooms, and cedarwood. The palate has medium (+) acidity, medium (+) tannins, a medium body, and medium alcohol.

Overall, it’s excellent. You can drink it now, but it can still age well. This is really the best example of an innovative wine; I absolutely loved it!

Conclusion

In conclusion, Minimalist Wines have truly captured the essence of simplicity and elegance in winemaking. Through minimal intervention techniques, winemaker Sam Lambson has created wines that not only reflect the natural flavors of the grape varieties but also showcase the unique terroirs from which they originate. Each wine, whether it be the smooth and fruity reds or the crisp and refreshing whites, offers a unique and delightful experience.

For those who appreciate the art of winemaking or simply enjoy a good glass of wine, Minimalist Wines are a must-try. They promise an elevated wine-drinking experience that is honest, balanced, and full of character. Big thanks to Sam and Benier Global Wines for providing the opportunity to explore these exceptional wines. Cheers to discovering the pure elegance of Minimalist Wines!

More about Minimalist Wines: https://www.minimalistwines.com/

More about Benier Global Wines: https://www.benierglobalwines.nl/

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