They took Ovid’s advice and look what they caught
Stony Brook’s red wines — Ovidius, The Max, Camissa — deliver power, elegance and ageability.
“Chance is always powerful. Let your hook be always cast; in the pool where you least expect it there will be a fish,” the Roman poet Ovid wrote in 19 BC.
When the McNaught family planted Spanish grape Tempranillo on their Stony Brook farm in Franschhoek some years ago they were taking a chance — the first planting in SA of the grape that makes Spain’s famous full-bodied Rioja wines.
Paying homage to the poet and his words, they named the wine Ovidius — reflecting not only the gamble with that particular grape, but perhaps also the chance they took with their overall journey into winemaking.
Joy McNaught captured the journey of the former Grahamstown (now Makhanda) family in her memoir, Headlong into the Red, the story of how she and doctor husband Nigel fell in love with Franschhoek in the-1980s, sold everything and bought their first dilapidated wine farm.
From knowing nothing about wine farming, but knowing what kind of wines they liked and wanted to make (old-world style, classic and ageable), their leap of faith paid off.
Having sold the first farm and bought former fruit farm Stony Brook in 1995, they built up a boutique family-run winery making highly-rated wines, 75% of them exported to a loyal, global customer following.
Stony Brook was sold to a German investor last year, with son Craig McNaught staying on as winemaker for continuity in the wine quality and style.
Renovations under way on the farm are extensive, but also aim to preserve the personal touch and charm that has enchanted wine lovers from far and wide.
That planting of Tempranillo has been an absolute revelation, says Craig, with the wine becoming more refined with each vintage and showing its exceptional ageability over vintages from the maiden 2013.
Ovidius 2020 (R300) is certainly drinkable now, especially with boldly flavoured foods, but firm tannins — power coming from 26 months in 65% new oak — suggest it will reward cellar time (up to15 years, says the winemaker).
Dark and brooding, a rich mocha-tinged nose, the flavours are intriguingly complex and lingering; savouriness, tobacco and spice swirl around bright red fruit, a touch of sour cherry; a revelation worth sampling.
Bordeaux-style blend The Max 2019 (R200) delighted both winemaker and new owners with a Platter’s 5* rating in the 2024 guide.
Full-bodied, complex but with a lightness of touch in plush, plummy fruit, blackcurrant touched with cedar spice, and richly smooth after the components of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot and petit verdot were matured in a combination of new and older oak for 26 months before blending and bottling.
Built to last.
Not as feisty as The Max, but also Bordeaux in style, Camissa 2020 is ready to drink with smooth, integrated tannins, juicy cassis fruit sweetness and spice.
Elegant everyday drinking and great value at R120.
Syrah Reserve 2020 (R215, 4.5*) is of the old world, Rhone-style kind (rather than big fruit bomb peppery Shiraz, the same grape just different style) — medium-bodied, florals, oregano, cloves, cinnamon and mulberries, a light pepper touch, warm and rich but not heavy.
Chill this lightly for a super summer red (15-20 minutes max in the fridge, people, not ice-cold).
The Stony Brook flagship Ghost Gum Red 2020 (R350) is an outstanding straight cabernet sauvignon that garnered 4.5 Platter’s stars, having missed 5* by a single point, and winemaker Craig reckons it’s his best in 20 vintages.
(He also processed all five tonnes of the grapes by himself in the cellar, as they were harvested the day before the Covid-19 lockdown of March 2020!)
The microclimate of Stony Brook’s Bo-Hoek area of Franschhoek is just excellent for cabernet sauvignon and the 2020 vintage was “luminary”, and the result is a classic, built-to-last Cab after 30 months in 80% new oak.
The wine has character and style and poised balance — plushness with clean purity in the deep blackberry, cassis fruit; seasonings of mint, a dust of chocolate, a waft of eucalyptus, sprinklings of cedar, graphite and cigar box; firm tannins with quiet power. Luminary, indeed.
Buy Stony Brook wines online at https://shop.stonybrook.co.za/shop/ and be sure to visit them at the Great Kenton Wine Festival from March 21-23.