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00:00 – INTRO

00:18 – THE MOTHER ROCK NATURAL WINE ETHOS

01:11 – IS THERE A NATURAL WINE CERTIFICATION?

01:56 – JOHAN’S EXCITING NEW PLATTEKLIP VINEYARDS

02:49 – WHAT IS IN THE MOTHER ROCK WHITE BLEND 2020

03:13 – WHAT DOES THE MOTHER ROCK WHITE BLEND 2020 TASTE LIKE?

04:25 – DON’T SERVE IT TOO COLD!

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Mother Rock Wines is a project started by winemaker Johan “Stompie” Meyer. They are wines made according to a “natural wine” ethos, with fruit sourced from organically farmed vineyards. These wines are unfiltered, and have no added yeasts. In fact, for the most part there is also no added sulphur, either. So, they’re about as natural as natural wines can get. Which is exacrtly what they taste like…natural wines. Proponents of the natural wine movement will argue that these are the most honest wines that can be made from the grapes because of the low level of active intervention on the part of the winemaker. Those who oppose these cloudy, yeasty, fragrant oddities do so because they claim that these wines are so foreign in style and flavour that they all taste more of winemaking than they taste of their terroir, or place of origin. To which natural wine proponents would retort, “but that’s just because you don’t drink enough of them. you gotta drink more to get used to the genre, and then you begin to appreciate their expression of terroir,” to which opponents retort…
“but why would I do that, they just taste of winemaking…rather than expressing their terroir….”
And so it continues around the mulberry bush. But in between all the debates, Johan Stompie Meyer continues to produce some jolly fascinating wines.  Here are the notes on the Mother Rock White Blend 2020.

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👃🏼 Ah, the smell of natural wine. The vanguard opens with a burst of yeasty apple cider, along with white flowers, wax, grapefruit pith and orange sherbet.

👄  While it all takes a little while to unfold, the palate eventually reveals a mix of supremely fresh tart oranges, granny smith apples and white nectarines, softened by hints of sweeter sponspek melon. The small portion of skin contact  gives the palate a bit of grip, too.

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🔬Wine of Origin Swartland. ABV 12%. 41% Chenin Blanc, 25% Viognier, 19% Grenache Blanc, and 15% Semillon. 15% of the components are fermented on their skins, and a tiny portion is aged under flor (as one would do with a sherry).

📣 Serve lightly chilled