2023 Moya Meaker, Riesling, Elgin, South Africa
Critics reviews
The 2023 Riesling Elgin is the only cuvée that is destemmed, with whole berries pressed and transferred to concrete vats for a relatively warmer fermentation. It aged on the lees for 11 months. This is pure and refined on the nose, reminding me of a fine Clare Valley Riesling with its aromas of pressed white flowers and very subtle oily scents. The palate is well balanced with an orange-rind-tinged entry. Cohesive and expressive of its varietal, this will be ready to go from bottling, though it should also reward time in bottle. There is 7g/l residual sugar here, but you would never know it.
Drink 2025 - 2035
Neal Martin, Vinous.com (August 2024)
About this WINE
Moya Meaker
Nestled in the picturesque Elgin Valley of South Africa, Moya Meaker embodies the harmonious blend of tradition and modernity in winemaking. Renowned for its cool climate and pristine terroir, the Elgin Valley provides the perfect backdrop for Moya Meaker’s pursuit of excellence. The winery is named in honour of Moya Meaker, a figure of grace and resilience whose legacy inspires every bottle produced. Her story is one of elegance, and her spirit is reflected in the meticulous craftsmanship and dedication that define the estate’s approach to winemaking.
Moya Meaker focuses on cultivating premium varietals, with a particular passion for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which thrive in the valley’s unique microclimate. The estate employs sustainable farming practices, ensuring that every step, from vine to bottle, respects the land and its future. The winemaking philosophy emphasises minimal intervention, allowing the distinct character of the vineyard to shine through in each vintage.
Elgin
This cool lush corner of the Western Cape is east of Stellenbosch. Historically Elgin has been better known for its apple orchards, but is fast proving its potential for wine, with elegant examples of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and even Syrah.
Circled by mountains, the cool-climate ward sits within the Overberg region. Aromatic grape varieties thrive in Elgin’s slow-ripening conditions, with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Noir and even Syrah showing promise.
Recommended producers: Richard Kershaw MW
Riesling
Riesling's twin peaks are its intense perfume and its piercing crisp acidity which it manages to retain even at high ripeness levels.
In Germany, Riesling constitutes around 20% of total plantings, yet it is responsible for all its greatest wines. It is planted widely on well-drained, south-facing slate-rich slopes, with the greatest wines coming from the best slopes in the best villages. It produces delicate, racy, nervy and stylish wines that cover a wide spectrum of flavours from steely and bone dry with beautifully scented fruits of apples,apricots, and sometimes peaches, through to the exotically sweet flavours of the great sweet wines.
It is also an important variety in Alsace where it produces slightly earthier, weightier and fuller wines than in Germany. The dry Rieslings can be austere and steely with hints of honey while the Vendages Tardives and Sélection de Grains Nobles are some of the greatest sweet wines in the world.
It is thanks to the New World that Riesling is enjoying a marked renaissance. In Australia the grape has developed a formidable reputation, delivering lime-sherbet fireworks amid the continental climate of Clare Valley an hour's drive north of Adelaide, while Barossa's Eden Valley is cooler still, producing restrained stony lime examples from the elevated granitic landscape; Tasmania is fast becoming their third Riesling mine, combining cool temperatures with high UV levels to deliver stunning prototypes.
New Zealand shares a similar climate, with Riesling and Pinot Gris neck to neck in their bid to be the next big thing after Sauvignon Blanc; perfectly suited is the South Island's Central Otago, with its granitic soils and continental climate, and the pebbly Brightwater area near Nelson. While Australia's Rieslings tend to be full-bodied & dry, the Kiwis are more inclined to be lighter bodied, more ethereal and sometimes off-dry; Alsace plays Mosel if you like.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
A very classic Riesling nose; Granny Smith, delicate Elderflower rather than the turbocharged kerosine of say the Clare Valley. This is very impressive. Right up there with Saurwein’s edition as the best South Africa offers for Riesling.
Fergus Stewart, Private Client Manager, Berry Bros. & Rudd
I am amazed given the price, there is a great deal of concentration here and a lot of purity in character. Fermented and aged in concrete, if I had to compare this is more stylistically Alsace than German and the notes are bursting with florals and fresh fruits, the Petrol notes Jean says, won’t come until much later – Given its energy, I have no doubt this will age very well.
Amy Johnson, Senior Account Manager, Berry Bros. & Rudd
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