THERE ISN’T another wine tasting venue quite like theirs. Very few farms in South Africa are as successful when it comes to organic wines labelled as such. And while they might well be better known by many for some of their Ladybird wines than for most of their Reserves, the wine they’re best at is Merlot, Claypot Merlot – among the Top 10 in the SA Wine Classification, with the 2016 vintage taking top honours in the 2019 category report on Winemag.co.za.

Laibach was the only Merlot in the report to receive an ‘Outstanding’ review from the panel comprising Winemag’s Christian Eedes (chair) with Wine Cellar merchants Roland Peens and James Pietersen. ‘Excellent’ ratings went to Shannon Mount Bullet 2016, Dornier 2016, Groot Constantia 2016, Meinert 2015, Creation 2017, Eagle’s Nest 2015, Groote Post 2017, Holden Manz Reserve 2016, Jordan Black Magic 2016, Overgaauw 2017 and Remhoogte Aspect 2015.

According to Laibach, if you think Pinot Noir is the ‘heartbreak grape’, you definitely haven’t tried to make Merlot. Not in South Africa anyway. The name Claypot, comes from the unique soils that the vines are growing in. “Farmed organically with great respect to nature and old-style winemaking,” says cellarmaster Francois van Zyl. The attention to detail in the cellar is amazing. All very labour intensive.

LAIBACH CLAYPOT MERLOT 2016
WO Simonsberg-Stellenbosch. Unirrigated vines. Certified organic by Ecocert SA. Hand-picked grapes. Strict sorting regime. Fermentation in closed as well as open tanks using natural yeast, nothing added. 14 months maturation in new French oak barrels. Sterile filtration. Only 5400 bottles. Any sediment that may form in the bottle is entirely natural and can be removed by decanting.
Alc 14.5 | RS 1.6 | TA 5.5 | pH 3.6
Winemaker’s Tasting Notes: Hints of toast, dark chocolate and peppermint on the nose. Oodles of crushed red fruits on the palate. Lush, velvety. Chunky, lingering aftertaste with great complexity and age-worthiness. Drink from 2020 till 2030.
Winemag Tasting Notes: Attractive aromatics of red and black fruit, violets, tea leaf and oak spice. The palate shows pure fruit and bright acidity while the finish is long and dry. Intense but not weighty, this a beautifully balanced and elegant wine.
R320pb at the cellar door.