tark-Condé is hardly a household name in the US, much less around here in metro Day-twah.  I’d barely ever heard of this South African wine producer until I did some research on MAN Vintners recently, and discovered that José Condé (1/3 of the triumvirate of partners in that project) is the owner-winemaker. Upon further investigation, I learned that Stark-Condé is a family-run boutique operation whose total output is less than 5,000 cases a year, and produces only red wines. There are two levels of production; the Condé line is made up of single vineyard bottlings sourced from their best vineyard blocks, while the lower priced Stark line (named after a now-deceased family matriarch) are blended from more than one vineyard. The wines at both levels are made in the same manner, with hand-sorting, open-top fermentations, hand punchdowns and manual basket pressing.

I had no idea what to expect when we took possession of six bottles from Stark-Condé for review a few weeks ago, but we soon discovered that this is an outfit to be reckoned with.  We started our survey with the Syrahs. All prices listed are average retail per bottle as listed by Stark-Condé importer Vineyard Brands, Inc., Birmingham, AL.

2004 Stark Stellenbosch Syrah, $26, 14 % alc.: Dark garnet in color, fading to pink at the rim, with expressive smoke, toast, coffee and tar over dark plums and berries on the nose; the rich flavors echo loudly on a well structured, full bodied frame. With an hour’s worth of air, the somewhat burry tannins smooth out nicely, making for a fine glass of Syrah that pairs well now with a plate of lamb tagine. It’ll show even better with at least a few more years in the bottle, and quite probably well beyond that. A blend from two different vineyards from Condé-Stark’s Oude Nektar farm in Jonkershoek Valley, with full malolactic fermentation and 22 months in French oak, mostly 2nd year, with about 15% new. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. Find this wine

2004 Condé Stellenbosch Syrah, $35, 14 % alc.: This almost looks like purple-garnet ink in the glass; although a little stingy, it offers a well integrated kiss of sweet oak that complements the deep, dark plum and berry on the nose, all of which echoes and expands dramatically on the palate. Not exactly sweet, or even ripe, but certainly rich, full flavored and harmonious, with an additional shading of soft leather that becomes accentuated with air and sets the tone for the personality of the wine. Well structured (but not so much so that you can’t enjoy it now with some air and more of that tasty lamb tagine), with good length, this is well worth the tariff, and it will continue to develop over the next five years and beyond. From Condé’s highest elevation Syrah vineyard located at the Oude Nektar farm in Jonkershoek Valley, with full malolactic fermentation and 22 months in French oak, mostly 2nd year, with about 15% new. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.  Find this wine

I made the mistake of pouring the 2003 Cabernet Sauvignons in the wrong order, but it was an instructive error, and impressions are presented in the order that they were tasted.

2003 Condé Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon, $35-40, 15% alc.: Dark garnet in color, with lovely flavors and aromas of cassis, black currant and blackberry, accented with some subtle toast and coffee, and hints of earth and fennel. Smoothly textured and medium full bodied, with good, but not excessive extraction, this is deceptively well structured, with fine tannins and enough acidity to make it come together nicely. A wine of elegance, with good promise for further development, and yet it drinks so well already, especially with a plate of grilled medium rare beef as the fruit sweetens with some air. It doesn’t exactly scream Cabernet, but then, it’s not really atypical either; what it IS is eminently drinkable, and I’d love to get my hands on more of this for both current consumption and cellaring for some years down the road. This one really wowed me. From Block 5 at the Oude Nektar farm in Jonkershoek Valley, with full malolactic fermentation and 22 months in mostly new French oak. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. Find this wine

2003 Stark Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon, $27, 14.5% alc.: Not in the same league as the ’03 Condé, but still, a nice glass of wine when considered on its own. Ruby dark garnet in color, with ever-so-slightly vegetal black currant and blackberry flavors and aromas that show notes of soft new leather, tobacco and a subtle earthy undertone. Medium full bodied and well balanced, with fairly rich fruit, smooth, fine tannins, and good length on the finish. Like the ’03 Condé, the velvety texture is very impressive, and really, the only thing wrong with this is that it was tasted after, rather than before the previous selection. It offers good value for the money, and drinks well on the second day, with the soft leather character even more accentuated. A blend from four different vineyards from Condé-Stark’s Oude Nektar farm in Jonkershoek Valley, with full malolactic fermentation and 22 months in French oak, 40% of which was new. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. Find this wine

Having learned my lesson with the ‘03s, we tried the ’04 Cabernets in the proper order.

2004 Stark Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon, $27, 14% alc.: Dark garnet in color, with a note of cocoa over black currant-cassis, and shaded with hints of tobacco, this shows the same smooth, lovely texture that the ‘03s do, being well balanced with rich fruit, moderate tannins, just enough acidity and good length. The “cocoa” sets the tone here, emerging more with air; it doesn’t have the leathery quality that the ’03 has, and it’s not terribly complex, but it’s harmonious and quite enjoyable for what’s here. A blend from four different vineyards from Condé-Stark’s Oude Nektar farm in Jonkershoek Valley, with full malolactic fermentation and 22 months in French oak, 40% of which was new. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. Find this wine

2004 Condé Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon, $41.50, 14.47% alc.: Dark garnet in color from rim to rim, and all toast on the nose, with flavors of toasty oak over black currant on a medium full to full bodied frame; the typically smooth texture masks the deceptive structure here, but this is not the equal of the ’03 Condé Cabernet, lacking the depth, and for me, the appeal, seeming almost lean by comparison. Just when I was about to sing the universal praise of this producer, this wine comes along and brings me back down to earth a bit. Maybe it’ll put on some weight and maybe the now-dominant oak will integrate with some time in the bottle, but as it is now, I’d opt for the ’04 Stark Cabernet. From Block 5 at the Oude Nektar farm in Jonkershoek Valley, with full malolactic fermentation and 22 months in French oak, about 75% new, with the balance second fill. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.  Find this wine

To be fair, it seems pretty obvious from these two pairs of cabs that 2003 was simply a better vintage than ’04, since both of the ‘03s have a little more of everything going for them. It also seems pretty obvious that José Condé and family are producing some very exciting wines, all things considered. Stark-Condé may have flown beneath our radar only a month ago, but we’ll be paying a lot closer attention to them in the future.

Reporting from Day-twah,

Bastardo 

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Wicked Couch & Spit

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© George Heritier November, 2006