Susan met Julien Schaal several years ago and has followed his wines ever since. Born and bred in Alsace where he also makes wine, Julien worked for Bouchard-Finlayson in South Africa for two years before buying his own grapes and renting winery space at Paul Cluver's estate in Elgin. The wines do have a French elegance to them and this is their secret. The Chardonnay has a Burgundian character while the Syrah is very Rhone-like which, at these prices, make them great value for money.
Julien explained to me recently how climate is more important than soil in South Africa because temperatures vary so much region to region. On the same day you can travel from Elgin where the temperature is in the 20s to Paarl where it can be 38 degrees C. The cooler climate gives a longer ripening period and better quality grapes.
