Elgin is the quintessential modern South African wine appellation - a relative newcomer which, in its present incarnation, dates back only to the 1980s. In that era, the area enjoyed a flourishing apple industry and it took considerable foresight to set aside valuable orchard land for speculative purposes. Paul Cluver (of the now eponymous wine cellar) and Anthony Rawbone-Viljoen of Oak Valley took the long-view reasoning that the cooler location would yield grapes of sufficient quality to justify the loss of fruit revenue.

By the early 1990s the KWV began lifting restrictions on where vineyards could be sited. This opened the way for a host of new vineyard areas. The export boom which followed the 1994 elections saw a vast increase in the demand for wine and Elgin, together with many of the more experimental locations, suddenly ceased to be marginal.

The timing could not have been more propitious: the once lucrative apple farming industry was in the midst of its own crisis. Suddenly wine was no longer the indulgence of wealthy apple farmers, but a possible way out of the deciduous fruit cul- de-sac. In a short space of time vineyards were planted by many apple growers. Now, a little over a decade later, the appellation undoubtedly enjoys critical mass.

Relative to the new wave of Elgin producers, the Cluver family enjoys all the benefits that come from having been a regional pioneer. The varietal mix has already been changed a couple of times, and the property has had its own cellar since the mid-1990s. Constant innovation remains essential. For example, Cabernet - which was always a little too herbaceous - has now been uprooted. New Pinot plantings have been established. There are also some new Sauvignon vineyards on even cooler sites.

A recent tasting of the latest releases from Cluver confirms that Elgin's pre- eminent producer is still on top of its game. The current release Sauvignon Blanc shows all the desirable savoury crisp notes without any of the tart, greenpeppery features of early harvested warmer climate fruit. It's not the best of Elgin Sauvignons. Perhaps because of the relatively young newer vineyards it lacks the palate weight and concentration of wines such as Iona, Tokara Elgin and the latest Oak Valley vintages. Still , it probably delivers the best value of the region's top-end offering. Cluver's Riesling is a benchmark in every respect

However, it is on the success of the Burgundy varieties - Chardonnay and Pinot - that the estate's reputation is likely to rest. The latest Chardonnay (a Platter 2010 five star laureate) is sumptuous without the overdone opulence of a wannabe Cô te de Beaune. The Pinot Noirs are comparable red wine counterparts.

The former, like the Sauvignon, is just shy of enough palate weight. I have no doubt that the selection made for the Seven Flags cuvee has cost the regular wine the weightier, more complex fruit from the best of the older vineyards - you cannot produce a reserve wine without denying the standard release material which would have added depth and intensity. The Seven Flags now has that concentration - making it one of the finest of the Cape's new generation Pinot Noirs.