If Chenin Blanc is South Africa’s workhorse, and Cinsault its Cinderella, then Colombard… well, Colombard’s the ugly stepsister. Think less Disney. More Emilie Bliefeldt. Back when we were all about pumping volume and brandy was the national pastime, Colombard bulldozed through, gobbling up vineyards in its wake. That was then — we’ve moved on since, even if Colombard’s reputation…hasn’t. But one man is convinced that Colombard is due its own glass slipper moment. And, reader, he might be right.
“I asked myself, why are we producing stuff where we’re competing with the rest of the world?” says winemaker Ian Naudé. “We need to be truly South African.” With Colombard ranked as our third most planted white, including some prime old vineyards, it’s a hard point to argue against. “I was told I can’t do Colombard. Nobody drinks it. Everything goes to brandy,” he laughs. “But we’re the only country in the world to produce Colombard as a still wine. It’s something new, but with a 125-year history, it’s also something old.”
Enter the Naudé Langpad Colombard. Right out of the gate, it immediately nabbed a spot as one of Decanter’s world’s Top 50 most exciting white wines. Sourced from a 1983 vineyard in Vredendal, just 35km from the icy Atlantic that covers the vineyard in a salty mist, this wine is pure West Coast. Sure, the West Coast’s stark and windswept scrubby beaches might not have the Garden Route’s warm water charms, but take a moment, observe, and let its more subtle beauty unfold. A clutch of whitewashed stone houses. A smattering of wild flowers. The bright red legs of an oyster catcher. Bokkoms strung up in the sun. The Langpad is similar in its subtleties, all sea spray, kelp and flint on the nose, giving way to layers of lime zest, lemongrass and spekboom-like succulence. Fresh and zinging with acidity, it’s still rounded and deliciously inviting. It might even have the structure to do so for another three to four decades, according to Ian.
“It’s a grape that really showcases its terroir,” says Ian. “It’s survived 40 years in one spot, it’s been mass produced, but treat it right and you get an amazing gem. When you taste this, wow!”
