Marelise Niemann
(credit drwinkler)
Marelise Niemann has long been recognized for her Grenache Noir sourced from bush vines grown in granitic soils in the Swartland’s Paardeberg. However, with the 2022 vintage she has expanded her menu to include three additional, single vineyard Grenaches from different sites and soils: Bot River (schist soils), Swartland’s Piekenierskloof (sandstone soils), and Swartland’s Riebeekberg (schist soils again). I recently met up with Marelise in Bot River where she showed me her elegant, Pinot Noir-like Grenache wines as well as her bright, crisp Chenin Blanc Verdelho blend.
Marelise is a graduate of the wine program at Stellenbosch University with wine experience in the Douro in Portugal (with Dirk Niepoort), Priorat in Spain (with Eben Sadie), in addition to several months in Napa Valley and several years making wine at South Africa’s Beaumont winery. Her experience in Priorat where she found old vine Grenache making fresh, vibrant wines was the catalyst for her own wine project. Her first love and first release was Grenache Noir, made first at Beaumont, then Gabrielskloof, and now at Anysbos, also in Bot River, where she is the winemaker. She also makes wines under her own label Momento at Anysbos.
Marelise is South Africa’s foremost advocate of the Grenache variety, a heat-tolerant grape that she says is well-suited to the country’s climate and soils and well-suited for a future of warmer temperatures and variable precipitation. However, she seeks to make a fresher, more refined style of Grenache than in the past.
And, indeed, Marelise’s Grenache wines are quite different from the ripe, high alcohol wines often made elsewhere in the New World from this variety. Her wines are refined with excellent freshness and moderate alcohol levels, the result of multiple pickings at harvest time, separate fermentations by picking using native yeast and with about one-third stem inclusion, and blending just before bottling.
Momento offers not just Grenache Noir but, also, Grenache Gris and Grenache Blanc. Our comments on the current releases of Grenache Noir and Grenache Gris follow. In addition to the Grenache wines, we review her superb Chenin Blanc blend.
US Importer: Skurnik
The Wines
Momento 2023 Chenin Blanc Verdelho Western Cape 95 This blend of 63% Chenin Blanc and 37% Verdelho offers a multifaceted bouquet of stone fruit, citrus and dried tropical fruit. Bright, fresh and full in the mouth with mouthwatering acidity and lingering rich finish. The mostly old vine Chenin Blanc is sourced from 3 different vineyards on sandstone, granite and shale soils, and the Verdelho is also from 3 vineyards on shale, granite and schist soils. Whole bunch pressed, native ferment, and matured separately in 400L neutral French oak for 10 months, then blended before bottling. 13.5% alc. [R315]
Grenache Gris
(credit drwinkler)
Momento 2023 Grenache Gris Voor Paardeberg 94 Gold-tinged bronze. Opens with aromas of dried herbs, roiboos tea, and citrus. Very flavorful, broad and concentrated palate showing good grip and firm acidity. Gorgeous mouth feel. Four pickings from a 9-year-old, granite soil vineyard in Paarl’s Voor Paardeberg; each picking given 7 days skin contact and separately fermented (no stems) with native yeast, full malo, and aged in used French oak for 10 months, then blended before bottling. 13% alc. [R315]
Momento 2022 Grenache Noir Paardebeg 94 Light red. Opens with an ethereal red berry perfume contributed by granitic soils. Fresh and refined in character with juicy acidity and light red fruit that evokes pomegranate and wild cherry. Long, rich finish. Sourced from a granitic vineyard planted in 2004 to old clones with thicker skins. Fermented 30% whole bunch aged one year in older foudre. 12.5% alc. [R390]
Momento 2022 Grenache Noir Bot River 93 The Bot River Grenache opens with savory notes of garrique, cracked pepper and a hint of soy. The palate is full with red berry and cranberry fruit and a firm backbone. Sourced from 9+ year old, dry farmed bush vines at Anysbos, partly fermented whole bunch and aged 16 months in neutral French oak. 12.3% alc. [R520]
Grenache Noir
(credit drwinkler)
Momento 2022 Grenache Noir Riebeekberg 94 Lucid light red color. Bright, vivacious red cherry and berry nose. Silky on the attack with a grippy backbone, packed with fresh, just ripe red fruit enlivened by bright acidity on a silky palate. Finishes with herbal and saline accents. Beautiful, easy drinking. Sourced from bush vines planted in schist soils and fermented with 30% whole clusters. 13.3% alc. [R520]
Momento 2022 Grenache Noir Piekenerskloof 95 Light ruby color. Refined, floral and berry like nose with excellent depth of flavor and Burgundy-like finesse. Beautiful integrated acidity. From a sandstone vineyard planted in 1978 at 762m. Alc 12.7%. [R520]
Source : https://i-winereview.com/blog/index.php/2025/01/31/marelise-niemann-south-africas-grenache-champion/
