Could this be the most exciting Pinot Noir in SA? With 95 points from Christian Eedes and coming in at less than half the price of top local Pinots, the quality on offer here is incredible. Made by Damascene’s rockstar winemaker Jean Smit, alongside business partner David Curl, Moya Meaker has quickly become the property to watch for Pinot and Riesling in Elgin.
Tasting the 2023 Pinot again yesterday confirmed its complexity, refinement and elegance. The wine unfurls with pressed florals, damp earth and comforting autumnal notes, followed by dark cherry and plum on the palate with savoury undertones, oak spices and evolving notes of black tea and crushed stone. It’s remarkably complex for only R325.
From a vineyard planted in 2006 on shale and only seeing concrete for 11 months, the Moya Meaker Riesling always has this lemon curd and lime blossom character that’s so attractive. The 2023 is pure fruited with notes of elderflower and white peach. Mineral and downright delicious, it’s seemingly bone dry, showing real tension and a chalky finish. This will age very well over the next few years. If you love drinking wine alongside your food, the Riesling’s versatility goes unmatched – think Cape Malay curry, grilled sardines, and everything in between. Only 2,000 bottles made.
Established in 2010 by Canadian-born David Curl, the former owner of Château Gaby in Bordeaux, Moya Meaker lies in an amphitheatre formed by surrounding mountains. At 320m altitude, the vines are exposed to large diurnal shifts, giving the Pinot Noir its bright acidity and plush fruit density. Their 3-ha parcel of ancient Bokkeveld shale soils offers the perfect terroir for this elusive Burgundian variety.
