At the time of its introduction to the South African wine market in 1973, Nederburg’s now legendary Baronne red wine was far more of a pioneer than it may be recognised as today, largely because in the late 1960s and early 1970s the local wine landscape was vastly different, and by launching Baronne Nederburg sailed into waters that were to a large extent uncharted.
The estate’s legendary cellarmaster, Günter Brözel, sought to create a red wine that was truly inspired. Half a century ago South Africa had no definitive red wine, and local consumers had, almost overnight, developed a liking for dry red and were seeking an alternative to the fortified, sweet, quirky whites on offer from the industry.
Cape wine farms suddenly found they simply could not keep up with the new demand. Cars were literally queuing outside their gates for a case or three of red, and each customer was limited to a specific number of bottles.
This sudden demand transformed the local vineyard landscape in terms of grape cultivars. Until then more than 80% of 112 000 ha under vine had white grape varieties. Given the prevailing shifts, Brözel and his team could not have chosen a more opportune time to launch their new dry red Nederburg Baronne on the SA wine market.
Baronne was designed to offer the red-wine drinker an element that was in scarce supply from other South African red, namely instantly enjoyable drinkability. Elsewhere in the world cellar technology and grape quality resulted in wines with formidable tannins and hard edges that were removed only once the wine had calmed down in the bottle for five years or more.
Baronne was no such wine. Noble and classic, yes, but accessible and enjoyable.
Now, in his way, Brözel was going to use the Bordeaux variety of Cabernet Sauvignon, a cultivar from which, in 1973, he was already making two single varietal Cabernet bottlings under the Nederburg label. The only problem was, in 1973 only 2% of South Africa’s winelands was planted with Cabernet Sauvignon. Fortunately Nederburg had secured access to some premium Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards in the Cape; the cultivar would go on to be a key ingredient in winemaking.
It gave an evocative spicy warmth to lift the firm regal backbone Brözel aimed for, He decided Baronne would also contain an element of Shiraz, the famous Rhône variety. But in 1973 the even rarer Shiraz was almost nowhere, and the intrepid winemaker threw in what little of it he had among the small percentage of “other cultivars”. Cabernet Sauvignon would always lead the way in Baronne, with Shiraz maintaining a lesser yet non-negotiable role.
From then on the red varieties in the final blend was always at the sole discretion of the winemaker. To Brözel Baronne would just be a “continuously renewable style of quality and perception”, determined largely by the quality of grapes used.
South Africa’s Wine of Origin system, introduced in 1973, parcelled the Cape winelands into various regions of discernible terroir to act as a guide in Brözel’s and other winemakers’ pursuit of good fruit. In identifying vineyards for the making of Baronne, great effort went into avoiding vines infected by leaf-roll virus. This had a profound impact on the purity and drinkability of Baronne, as grapes born from leaf-roll-infected plants resulted in gritty tannins, which would hamper the stylistic vision Nederburg had for this wine.
As for ensuring the crucial element of wood maturation there could not have been a more fitting hand than Brözel’s. His father had been a barrel-maker in Germany, under whom he had trained and from an early age accompanied into oak forests learning to identify wood, becoming immersed in all aspects of stave-making, seasoning of green wood, charring and the cobbling together of the staves into a barrel.
The year 1973 was a far cry from the South African wineries that use the 2 25l barrique barrels nowadays that are synonymous with red winemaking. The huge foudré vessels of old wood used to age the fermented Baronne red blend provide a gentler degree of exposure to wood, and today this is still one of its core elements.
Moreover, Brözel believed the name Baronne (meaning a lady who owns land given to her by the king), albeit modestly priced and made for everyday enjoyment, would enhance the Nederburg brand and its reputation as one of the world’s leading wineries. Although not a Bordeaux-style red blend, it nodded in the direction of France’s greatest wine region, built as it is on Cabernet Sauvignon, synonymous with Bordeaux and its three waterways – the Gironde estuary splitting into the Garonne and Dordogne rivers.
The instant success of Nederburg’s Baronne, still evident today, can be ascribed to the stylings founded 50 years ago, consistent and non-negotiable. The estate ensured it would be a wine to be noticed and become an integral part of the winemaking landscape.
No big-budget advertising campaigns were pursued, nor were bells and whistles used, but sheer quality and the brand’s perception of a path to classic red-wine enjoyment paved the way to its success, one that remains.
