Metis: A Frankenstein’s monster alive with verve

This South African white is an inspirational crossbreed, says Matthew Jukes.

Matthew Lynn
By
published
in Features

723_Metis

2013 Klein Constantia, Metis Sauvignon Blanc, Constantia, South Africa (£22, HarperWells, 01603-451098; harperwells.com; £19.99; sawinesonline.co.uk).

How about this wonderful collaborative wine to usher in the new year? Metis is made by Matt Day, Klein Constantia's hugely talented young winemaker. It is directly inspired by Loire-based sauvignon blanc icon, Pascal Jolivet.

Matt spent the 2012 harvest working with Pascal and his winemaker Jean-Luc Soty. He found that many of the techniques used in making Jolivet's Sancerres and Pouilly-Fums were in opposition to those used in his own vineyard and winery. Cue a meeting of minds, swapping of secrets and a plan to make a fusion-style wine from Matt's top grapes.

Subscribe to MoneyWeek

Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Get 6 issues free
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/mw70aro6gl1676370748.jpg

Sign up to Money Morning

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Sign up

The label depicts a South African protea fused to a French iris. So is this an unnerving Frankenstein or an inspirational Metis literally a crossbreed? The answer is that this wine has made this page where no other Klein Constantia sauvignon or any Jolivet wine for that matter has featured before.

Matt has taken the finest elements of Jolivet's craft and infused them into his own elemental raw materials the tension, aromatics and texture are remarkable. This isclearly the future for sauvignon from this historic estate. It ought to be a siren call to all Cape winemakers, too.

Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year (matthewjukes.com).

Matthew Lynn
Matthew Lynn

Matthew Lynn is a columnist for Bloomberg, and writes weekly commentary syndicated in papers such as the Daily Telegraph, Die Welt, the Sydney Morning Herald, the South China Morning Post and the Miami Herald. He is also an associate editor of Spectator Business, and a regular contributor to The Spectator. Before that, he worked for the business section of the Sunday Times for ten years. 

He has written books on finance and financial topics, including Bust: Greece, The Euro and The Sovereign Debt Crisis and The Long Depression: The Slump of 2008 to 2031. Matthew is also the author of the Death Force series of military thrillers and the founder of Lume Books, an independent publisher.

Latest