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Fairview Wine Estate - GOATS DO ROAM
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Paarl,
Western Cape,
South Africa.
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Goats Do Roam wines are no longer available in multiple retailers, Charles Back has decided that his wines are better suited to independant retailers, we agree!
No one can doubt the iconic value of 'Goats Do Roam', it's home is Fairview Wines, a 300ha farm on the south-west-facing slopes of Paarl Mountain, a granite rock outcrop in the heart of the Paarl wine district, viticulturally among the most historic and influential areas of the Cape winelands.
Standing among the lavender beds in the terraced front garden of the winery, you’ll look out across rolling fields and see distant flat-topped Table Mountain, a world-famous landmark standing guard over the city of Cape Town, South Africa’s tourist mecca perched on the Cape Peninsula at the southern tip of the African continent.
Winemaking on the farm can be traced back to 1699, not quite a half-century after the first European settlers arrived in southern Africa.
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But its wines entered the modern era with the first bottling under the Fairview label in 1974 by the Back family, owners since 1937.
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Today, some three decades later, grandson Charles Back II has brought Fairview wines to world markets. One of South Africa’s pre-eminent vintners, he has earned Fairview (and its ancillary brands Spice Route, Goats Do Roam and Agostinelli) a reputation for consistent quality across a range of innovative styles, using both classic and unusual varieties.
Charles has helped pioneer a modern culture of wine growing in South Africa that embraces typicity of terroir, unrestricted by ‘estate’ appellation.
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This is done by both developing his own vineyards to their full potential and seeking out new viticultural sites to grow fruit for wines to please popular tastes and discerning palates.
Fairview owner/vintner Charles Back has built what started as a single red blend named Goats do Roam into a fully-fledged wine company offering a range of top-quality, blended wines widely available throughout the wine-drinking world. The Goats do Roam brand is, in fact, the single-biggest selling South African wine label in the United States, despite that we still list it amongst our favourites!
Fruit for the wines is sourced from vineyards in the Paarl, Malmesbury and Stellenbosch areas, where Back owns farms or buys in fruit from selected wine growers.
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No matter what their origins, grapes are selected based on the basis of inherent fruit quality and flavour characteristics required for each respective blend in the range.
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The grapes are vinified in Fairview’s cellar in Paarl by Charles Back and resident winemaker Anthony de Jager, also responsible for the Fairview range. For all the light-hearted sense of fun evident in the labelling and branding of the Goats do Roam range, the wines themselves take a serious approach to quality. The style is modern, fruit-rich, with intelligent use of wood for either fermentation and/or maturation in small French and American oak barrels.
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The range is predominantly red, complemented by selected whites and a rosé and covering tastes from those that call for a wine with complexity and cellaring potential to those that require early drinking. Whatever the case, the wines offer immediate approachability once deemed market-ready.
But Charles Back has continued to have fun with the naming of each wine – and the design of each individual ‘olde worlde’ style label, with its endless witty allusions to the world of wine and goats! Besides additions to the family of Goats do Roam, there came the Goat Roti, then a pair of Goats do Roam in Villages.
Wine lovers with a sense of discernment matched only by their sense of humour may look forward to soon meeting the Bored Doe, Goat Door and the bawdy… but we’ll leave it there for the moment. |
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Take a light heated look at each of these wines, however, the tasting notes are a true representation.
Click on the link to buy these wines: -
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Bored Doe
Madame Chevre, an udderley gorgeous doe, bored but mischievous, serenely looks out over her neatly manicured vineyards. She reluctantly conforms to legislation and tradition, and only utilizes Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petit Verdot in her seductive wines to add spice to her life. Beware, you are about to become her latest conquest!
TASTING NOTES: This blend of noble varietals shows good, gentle oak integration and ripe deep fruit. The combination of grapes from different sites provides balance, and the wine has good tannin evolution and structure. More info 
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Goat Door
As the goats roamed through the vineyards choosing the fruit for the well known Goats do Roam range of wines, one obstinate member of the flock decided to go his own way. He sought out his very own vineyards and, being a lover of rich, barrel fermented white wine, chose the noble Chardonnay grape. So delighted was he with the results that he now fiercely protects these vineyards by standing guard at the door! He has, of course, been named Chevre Chardonnay, and these vineyards produce exceptional quality wine, vintage after vintage.
TASTING NOTES: Goat-Door is lightly oaked, allowing the chardonnay fruit flavours to emerge. Lees contact adds complexity, but the wine remains fresh, and characteristic of the Goats do Roam style.
More info
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Goat Roti
A sultry blend of Shiraz and Viognier, grown in Paarl and Malmesbury. As the flagship of the Goats do Roam range of wines, the elders are well pleased.
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TASTING NOTES: Deep vibrant purple.
Aroma: Subtle floral and aromatic notes yield to ripe fruit and peppery aromas.
Palate: Juicy layered ripe fruit and silky tannins.
Cellaring: This wine is good now however it will benefit from at least 5 years in bottle.
More info |
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Goats do Roam in Villages Red
A Cape-Rhône blend of shiraz, pinotage and mourvèdre with a touch of viognier, matured in a mixture of used French and American oak barrels. A rich, ripe wine with backbone, sure to reward a few years’ cellaring.
TASTING NOTES: An innovative blend of rich spicy shiraz and a brooding pinotage. Full bodied, ripe tannins with good length and structure, backed by careful oaking. This wine certainly has the structure and tannin to age for 3 - 5 years. More info
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Goats do Roam Red
Made in the style of the Côtes-du-Rhône, this is an appealing fruit-driven but elegant shiraz-based blend also containing such typical warm-blooded varieties as cinsaut, grenache and gamay noir, with pinotage adding some Cape colour and a dash of cabernet sauvignon and merlot contributing to the structure. It’s a lightly oaked wine, combining juicy ripe fruit with gentle tannins for a fresh, ready-to-drink stylle. More info
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Goats do Roam White
This full-bodied unwooded wine is a blend of white Rhone varieties grenache blanc, clairette blanche and crouchen blanc. It's crisp and dry, for early drinking.
TASTING NOTES: This full bodied unwooded wine shows considerable character, combining the flavours and feel of our sun drenched Mediterranean climate with the distinctive fruit-focused wine style of Fairview. More info
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The Goatfather
With the rise to prominence of the Goats do Roam Family, challengers to their position have emerged on many fronts. Don Goatti, in true Sicilian tradition, fiercely protects the herd, their loyal customers and the winemaking secrets of the family. While few in the family know the final blend, The Goatfather always includes a selection of Italian varietals, maintaining their omertá over quality and consistency through the family of wines. The Goats will roam…Capisce?!
TASTING NOTES: The wine is in a modern style, with dark fruit, and some subtle spiciness. This balances well with the acidity and tannin structure of the wine, allowing for a rich mouthfeel, and a good clean fresh finish. More info
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REVIEWS
Goat Roti
Awards:
2004: Silver – Michelangelo International Wine Awards 2006
2004: Gold Medal – Decanter World Wine Awards 2006
2004: Gold Medal – Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2006
2004: John Platter Wine Guide 4 stars
2003: Wine Spectator Top 100 wines 2004
2002: 91 points Wine Spectator
Goats do Roam in Villages Red
Awards:
Silver medal – Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2006
Silver medal – International Wine & Spirits Competition 2005
Silver medal – Decanter World Wine Awards 2005
2003: 90 points Wine Spectator
2003: Silver medal – Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2005
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