Muratie: History lives on
Friday, 09 December 2011 00:00
It’s difficult not to be swept up in the history and romance that envelops Muratie. History is everywhere, from the time you step out of your vehicle and see the ancient oaks that virtuallyform a canopy across the narrow Knorhoek road, to the moment you enter the historic building housing the tasting room which dates back to the 17th century.
The love story of Laurens Campher, first custodian of Muratie and Ansela van de Caab, a slave, is one that most are familiar with, a story of a couple who despite the odds, had a love that endured and flourished.
One of the Cape’s oldest oak trees can be found on Muratie, spreading its wide branches almost right across the road leading to the farm and casting its shade onto the peaceful courtyard. It was planted by Ansela van de Caab. And just across the road, close to the manor house, is a modest white-washed building, where Laurens and Ansela lived. While theirs was a difficult life filled with hardship and poverty they were a pioneering couple and were the first to plant vines on the farm. Ansela also made history by becoming the first woman of slave descent to own land in the Cape after Laurens’ death.
Rijk Melck, the current custodian of Muratie regales me with the history of Muratie, one of the Cape’s most revered and well-loved estates.
As we sit in the courtyard, with cars racing up and down the Knorhoek road (sadly the times have changed and the once-familiar sounds of horses and carriages trundling up the steep road are now a thing of the very distant past) he offers vignettes of some of the more colourful owners of the farm in its 300-year old history.
Rijk is a direct descendant of Martin Melck, a Prussian carpenter whose story resembles that of many of the early settlers who found their way to the Stellenbosch area. Working as a knecht or labourer he toiled for the Company for many years in the 18th century, and following his release in 1750 he bought the farm Elsenberg, close to Muratie. An industrious farmer, he “did well for himself” as Rijk says, and was soon able to gain ownership of De Driesprong or Muratie which was transferred to his name in 1763.
It was only in 1987 that the farm came back to the Melck family when Ronald Melck, Rijk’s father purchased it after a century in other hands.
Visitors will be enchanted by the tasting room, filled with cobwebs, and rustic old furniture. The restaurant is housed in one of the old fermentation tanks, the walls stained with tartaric acid.
There is an atmosphere of genuine friendliness, of a small family farm, not least due to the warm service given by the dedicated staff. On the day I visited, old friends of the Melcks paid a visit and soon enough one of the visitors was playing a rousing honky tonk tune on the old piano, the sounds reverberating through the intimate space.
In the tasting room you can sample the wines made by viticulturalist/winemaker Francois Conradie. They are impressive. Several received four star ratings in the latest Platter guide; the flagship Ansela van de Caab four and a half. Tasting them, it’s evident a common thread runs through the wines: a singular creaminess and richness balanced by a refined structure.
The Laurens Campher remains a firm favourite – a blend of chenin, sauvignon, verdelho and a touch of chardonnay. The delicate nose gives on to a complex wine where there is a touch of sweetness not cloying but adding balance and structure.
Flagship Ansela van de Caab is an intense, richly rewarding wine – a seamless combination of cabernet sauvignon, cab franc and merlot which offers up aromas of cloves and sandalwood on the nose with a palate of rich fruit, ripe tannins and a long finish.
Muratie was the first estate to pioneer pinot noir – made by previous owner and eccentric winemaker/artist George Paul Canitz. Today Canitz’s studio is rented out as a self-catering cottage and much of the original furniture remains.
Close to the studio is a small room which was dubbed “the chapel” but it’s unlikely there were many religious gatherings here – many flamboyant drinking parties were held in this tiny room, where rough benches line the walls and a large chandelier at the centre of the cavern is decorated with women’s bodices and other such intimate wear.
But back to the pinot noir, South Africa’s first plantings of this varietal were at Muratie in 1927 and the wine is produced from low-yielding dryland vineyards. The wine has deep strawberry colour and the nose offers up deep perfumed aromas of cherries and berries which carry over to the palate overlaid with hints of earthiness. Beautiful soft tannins – a fine example of this tricky cultivar.
The estate is also extremely well-known for its fortified wines and there’s an excellent shiraz and a delightful dessert wine called Amber Forever – a fortified hanepoot made from muscat d’ Alexandrie that was also created by Mr Canitz and over half a cenutry later has developed a dedicated following for its raisiny, silky smooth character backed by lovely fruit and toffee flavours.
While the wines are reason enough to come to this gracious old estate, it’s “the whole package” that makes this a perfect place to visit as the festive season nears, a farm with living history, a charming restaurant – ideal in the summer to sit in the courtyard under the oaks and order from a homely menu and an ambience that is unique and completely delightful.
* Muratie: 021 865 2330
Written by Orielle Berry You are reading Muratie: History lives on articles
