Although normally a firm believer in strategic planning, when it comes to new wines, Pieter Walser plans NOT to plan. His philsophy - you can never force a wine, you just need to follow the road you're on. The journey normally starts with a friend, which typically leads to another friend, new areas and vineyards. Ultimately Pieter ends up with a wine that expresses the journey more than the actual destination, a combination of these people and their habitat.
The perfect example of such a wine is the Moment of Silence. It's been a journey of epic proportion from the first vintage way back in 2007... It all started off with a friend, Jan de Villiers, who took Pieter to Wellington to meet a farmer. He wasn't too keen on the area at first but by lunchtime that day his view had completely changed. What made that meeting so significant in hindsight, was that he was unknowingly about to buy grapes from a farm originally owned by Pieter's direct family 7 generations ago and their meeting that day took place around the original Hauptfleisch dining room table owned by Pieter's family! It was only after 2 vintages of buying these grapes and making Moment of Silence, that his mom discovered this whilst doing a family tree - quite a confirmation don't you think?
Boberg: This vineyard grows on top of the Groenberg mountain in Wellington in decomposed granite. It was a neglected bush vine Chenin blanc vineyard that was recently resurrected and now being converted into an organically farmed parcel.
Hangbal: A super old bush-vine Chenin blanc that grows on the lower slopes on the northern side of the Groenberg. Works really well and I foresee a promising future for this component.
Taaiboslaagte: And the last 7% of the wine is made up of a conventionally farmed Viognier Vineyard. Fermentation took place spontaneously in various vessels - Concrete egg shaped tanks, Amphore and older French oak. Aged for 8 months on the lees blended and bottled.
