Kanonkop has the feel of an old established winery – like those I used to visit in Bordeaux when on holidays with my parents growing up. The estate has been in Johann Krige’s family for four generation, so it has certain touches that give the winery itself more soul than some of the modern wineries I have visited over the last few weeks. The large open epoxy lined concrete fermenters rather than the futuristic looking closed stainless steel tanks that are almost industry standard now.

The open fermenters are not just there to stir nostalgia for visitors though – the old-school techniques, with quick ferments, punching down the cap of skins that float on the top by hand with wooden batons every couple of hours gives a rapid colour extraction from the grape skins, and the gentle oxidation makes the wine more stable later in life.

The other lovely homely touch in the Kanonkop winery is the small cellar come tasting room tucked away down a set of stairs. Lining the walls are bottles dating back to the early part od the 20th century – even if most of them are probably knackered, it gives the place a very cool look!

Kanonkop specialise in reds, with only four different wines. They used to have plantings of all sorts of grape varieties, but Johann firmly believes that focusing on a few varietals gives them the quality rather than quantity edge – and it certainly has worked for them. Their well established base of regular customers around the world, means that all of their wines are on allocation, that is they are spoken for before they are even made! a very comfortable position to be in…

It was fitting that, while tasting their wines in the dingy cellar, whos walls were covered in messages scrawled by generations of drinkers, that we should try two different vintages of each of their estate wines: their current release, and a vintage that Johann thought to be drinking well, showing how these wines really are destined for cellaring – if you have the patience.

 

Kanonkop Pinotage 1999 vs. 2004

The 1999 first which is not obvious from the colour – still a vibrant red with hints of purple even at the rim. It has an earthy nose with savoury toast that does not give too much away in terms of fruit, so the elegant strawberry jam fruit on the palate, which rather than being confected, is delicate with fine soft tannins. The finish is long and lingering with more clean berry fruit.

The 2004 has deeper fruit character and despite the tannins being more prominent than in the ‘99 are still fine, but a little firmer in the mouth. I can’t wait to open my bottle that my parents are taking back to go in my pile…but not for a few years yet.

The Cabernet Sauvignon is also outstanding, we tried the 2003 against the 1991. The wine I would recommend to drink now though, if you can find it… is the Kanonkop ‘Kadette’ which is apparently sold in Threshers! It’s certainly a first for me, and almost slightly blasphemous as an ex-Oddbins manager to recommend a Thresher wine, but this one, at 7.99 apparently (or less if you buy it on their 3 for 2!) is a blinder!