Abrie Beeslaar recalls the experience, which took him and Beyers Truter to Bordeaux, Burgundy, and the Rhine, as being momentous for the extraordinary wines tasted, if not the standard of his golf! 'I tasted my first Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande; in fact, we were treated to a vertical tasting of lO vintages from the 1990s. Amazing. The quintessential Bordeaux red; still my favourite wine.'
Not long after, Truter asked Abrie to 'join' him. And the unassuming, humble young winemaker simply replied: 'Nee, dis reg.' [That'll be fine.] Even though, at that stage, he wasn't quite sure if the invitation referred to Kanonkop or Beyerskoof! Kanonkop’s owners, their cellarmaster, and Halliday were then involved in a joint venture building up two other Stellenbosch red wine properties, one of which was Beyerskloof [now owned only by Halliday and Truter].
'I did not want to join Kanonkop just because it was famous, but rather to have the opportunity and honour to work with these grapes and with Beyers. I was on the verge of deciding on my future: go the route of managing large cellars, overseeing winemakers, dealing with growers, handling large crops; or find a small, independent farm and work really hard to get a great wine from a vineyard into the bottle.'
'Of course, it's much easier to start at a new cellar if you are passionate about what you do.'
Abrie worked his first vintage at Kanonkop with Truter in 2002. The following vintage was memorable for reasons that undoubtedly have much to do with his special bond with both the estate and his mentor.
'The harvest had just kicked off and it was hectic; Beyers, a young Englishman named Ollie and I were running around between three vineyards and two wineries. We worked from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m., driving between cellars in the middle of the night. One evening, during a quick supper break, Beyers said he wasn't feeling well and was going to take a breather. He was actually very ill and landed up in hospital. We had to carry on.
'On top of having to see the harvest through to the end. there was this terrible worry about Truter. Ollie lost 14 kilograms in two weeks. He says that, to this day, he cannot go into a wine cellar and catch that fermenting grape smell without wanting to lose his lunch; shame.'
Fortunately, Truter made a full recovery. Abrie says they still argue about whose vintage that 2003 was: 'When the wines do well, I always say it was thanks to me!' It was in fact the year that produced the Kanonkop Paul Sauer awarded five stars by leading UK wine publication Decanter in 2009.
But 2009 was remarkable in another way: it was the year the Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Trophy for best- blended red at the International Wine & Spirits Competition in London went to the Kanonkop Paul Sauer 2003, the third time the wine had won it. The new guy had quietly proven himself fully worthy of filling those large shoes of his predecessors and doing Kanonkop's 'first growth' status proud.
He'll say he's quoting his mentor wl~en he speaks of a winemaker's knees being worn rough by kneeling in thanks for gifts from above. They're members of the same Stellenbosch church congregation: 'Beyers is an elder; I'm a deacon.'
But it's clearly the man's own convictions when he explains: 'A winemaker must always be humble; have that sense that nature is greater than Man; that .there's nothing you as a winemaker can do if the weather or the vine doesn't play along. What I as a winemaker get out of this piece of land that is Kanonkop is, ultimately, God-given.'
'As a winemaker, I'm only as good as the property: the soil, the vines, the fruit.'
It's an attitude that explains an earlier calling. Growing up in Worcester in the Breede River Valley, he wanted to be a doctor after matriculating at Montana High School. Wife Jeanne says simply: 'He loves people.' Maths and science were his strong suits and he started with a B.Sc. at Stellenbosch University, hoping to qualify for medicine.
'It would never have suited me; I love the outdoors.' He also enjoyed his wines, which is why he was delighted to find it all come together in a four-year B.Sc. in viticulture and oenology at Stellenbosch University.
He's a keen game hunter and fisherman. They holiday at Kleinbaai near Gansbaai on the Cape south coast, a popular spot for several fishing and golfing winemakers who gather just before Christmas each year for a charity golf day on the local nine-hole course. 'Even me, still not a great golfer and still trying to break a 100 over 18 holes!'
Eggs poached in pinotage with red wine reduction recipe by Abri Beeslaar paired with Kanonkop Pinotage wine....
Oven-roasted Greek lamb with feta and mint recipe by Abri Beeslaar served with couscous and paired with Kanonkop Paul Sauer wine....