Momento, Grenache Gris

Born from a passion for Mediterranean varieties and old-vine fruit, Momento is the solo project from dynamic winemaker Marelise Niemann. Marelise honed her craft at Beaumont Family Wines from 2007 to 2014, sharing cellar space with Crystallum’s Peter-Allan Finlayson and Thorne & Daughters’ John Thorne-Seccombe. She also worked extensively in California, the Rhône, Burgundy, and Portugal. Her fascination with Grenache was sparked in 2010 while in Priorat, where, together with winemaker Eben Sadie, she was impressed by the vibrant fruit produced by old vines. Returning to South Africa, she sought out parcels of old vine Grenache to make her own elegant and soulful wines. In 2023, she was named Tim Atkin’s ‘Young Winemaker of the Year’ in recognition of her work.

Marelise champions grape varieties that express their site and flourish in South Africa’s warm, dry climate. Fruit for Momento is sourced from vineyards in the Swartland and Bot River. The Swartland’s low rainfall, combined with decomposed granite soils, produces wines with richness and depth. In Bot River, the cooling Atlantic influence, coupled with shale and clay soils, contributes to the precise fruit and elegant texture of these wines.

Marelise’s winemaking is minimalist, utilising indigenous yeast barrel fermentations, old basket presses, manual punch downs and maturation in old French oak to preserve a profound purity of fruit. The Momento Chenin Blanc/Verdelho combines generous fruit and mouthfeel with Verdelho’s zesty acidity. It has notes of jasmine, lemon rind and wet stone. The Grenache Blanc is cold-soaked on skins for three days before fermentation, imparting a pithy texture and saline focus, which complements the wine’s crisp fruit profile. The Grenache Gris is sourced from the only vineyard of this variety in South Africa. Copper-skinned and planted on decomposed granite and clay, it displays a waxy mouthfeel, exotic fruit and a savoury, herbal edge. The Grenache is grown on decomposed granite soils and produced using 30% whole-bunch fermentation, giving delicate aromas of rose, wild strawberry and fynbos, coupled with racy acidity and a savoury finish. The Tinta Barocca is made in a style akin to premium Pinot Noir. It has a tightly wound core and complex aromas of berries, cassis and porcini.