CONSISTENCY: Newly released premium, single-variety Directors Reserve Merlot marks a new evolutionary stage for the brand – a delectable surprise…

By Len Maseko

If evolution is about versatility in adapting materials at hand to other uses, then not so many Cape winemaking families immediately come to mind as the Retief family of the Van Loveren and Four Cousins fame.

For, not only is the Retief family renowned for building from humble beginnings both brands into powerhouse labels with remarkable skill, but also for possessing their knack for innovation and entrepreneurial appetite to push boundaries in winemaking.

Notably, the family’s history with the brand Van Loveren began in 1937 when Hennie Retief snr acquired the land in the Robertson Valley and named it after Christina van Loveren, an ancestor of his new bride, Jean van Zyl. Since then, Van Loveren has grown by leaps and bounds to become South Africa’s leading family-owned winery, widely admired for their consistency and award-winning wines.

Another chapter for the brand began when Hennie’s sons Nico and Wynand joined him in the business.

Fast forward, another chapter is pencilled in 1990, when Nico’s sons, Bussell and Hennie; and Wynand’s sons, Phillip and Neil then joined the family farm after completing their studies.

In 2000, the four cousins introduced the Four Cousins range of wines, setting the Van Loveren estate on a new path with new brand extension. Today the four Retief cousins are credited with crafting Four Cousins into a much-loved brand, combining their friendship and talents to make wine.

Now Four Cousins has introduced a premium, single-variety red wine – the Directors Reserve, the Merlot, celebrating the brand’s journey from the 2000s when it introduced thousands of wannabe connoisseurs to wine with their highly popular natural sweet Rosé.

For the brand to have evolved to the premium of quality of Directors Reserve is rather remarkable, proving the cousins’ acumen as both marketers and winemakers.  For its part, the wine boasts a deep ruby colour complemented by a sumptuously bold fruity palate with smooth tannins and lower acidity, closing off with a delicious and lingering finish.

In short, its style is opulent and oozes generosity of flavour – all characteristics that simply seduces the unsuspecting palate from the first swig. No doubt, the brand has unmistakably evolved from its confected infancy to a level of maturity that illustrates the taste progression of the wannabes it blooded into wine culture in the 2000s, who have moved on to serious wines, yet still enthralled by fruit-forward styles in contrast to the under-stated Old-World poise.

“The combination of Merlot – South Africa’s favourite red variety – and an ideal terroir made it perfect for the Four Cousins Directors Reserve,” says Van Loveren CEO Phillip Retief, one of the brand’s cousins along with Bussell, Neil and Hennie. “The four cousins have never shied away from an opportunity and the making of this wine represented just such a chance for us.

We wanted to showcase particular vineyards and create a premium offering for fans of the Four Cousins brand.”

Not only were the cousins involved in selecting specific blocks of Merlot vineyards for this wine, but also kept a beady eye over the vinification process –  in line with their hands-on approach as final quality gatekeepers, complemented by the skill, experience, and passion of the Van Loveren team.