The cool-climate frontier on the Cape
In December 2019, a bushfire destroyed South Africa's Lismore winery. As well as her winery, owner Samantha O'Keefe lost her house, her 2019 vintage (which lay in barrel) and half her vineyards. She came close to losing her life. The fruit of sixteen years of hard work burnt down in 40 minutes. No one would have blamed her for walking away, but she chose to rebuild. It was a doubly difficult time for the South African wine industry, as Covid and lockdown descended shortly after. For a time, both domestic and international sales of alcohol were prohibited. But industry and winemaking friends rallied round, offering her grapes, barrels and cellar space. And her best vineyards, at least, had escaped the fire. She set about rebuilding and replanting vines, and grafting new heads onto vines whose roots had survived the fire. Her 2020 vintage was made partly from loaned and gifted fruit, but her 2021s are once again all her own.
When Samantha bought an abandoned dairy in Greyton in the early 2000s with her then husband, and began planting vines, the nearest vineyards were 50km away. Time has proven that what seemed an 'adventurous' choice was in fact inspired. Her wines impressed from their first vintage (2008), and they went on to garner critical acclaim, vintage after vintage. Other winemakers followed where she pioneered, and Greyton is now classified as a South African Wine of Origin. Samantha has been inducted into the Cape Winemakers' Guild, a privilege only offered to winemakers who have been responsible for the production of outstanding wines for at least five years. She has established Lismore comfortably in the front rank of South African producers.
Greyton is an unusually cool area by South African standards. The Burgundy and Rhône varieties that inspire Samantha can flourish here. The climate, the decomposed shale soils and the altitude the vineyards are planted at together lead to the unusually textured, expressive wines that have made Lismore famous. In 2021, after several years of drought, South Africa was finally blessed with heavy winter rains, that enabled a vintage that was both generous and high quality. The Lismore 2021s marry ripeness with freshness, and thrum with energy. /NT
Offered subject to remaining unsold; available imminently
