Wonderful Whites

A lovely tasting of examples of The Wine lesser available – and frequently enjoyed.

MCC:

·         Groote Post Brut Rose NV “Old Man’s Sparkle”:70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir, free run juice only. Very ripe Brie, strawberry almonds, rye lemonade, cheesey litchis, limey, raspberry zing/tartness.

WHITE:

·         Klein Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc (2012): Made from grapes from a blend of regions. Sweet litchis, pineapple, caramelly background, fresh hot summer’s day by the pool wine, full & juicy. (*)

·         Stonehill “Bristle White”  Viognier (2011): 100% Viognier. Lemon caramel shortbread, toasted seed bread, orange zest & rye, full, savoury, mouth watering, apricot marmalade, toast & butter. (*)

·         Painted Wolf Lekanyane (2010): 48% Chenin, 28% Viognier, 24% Verdelho. Buttered savoury punch scones, butterflies in your tummy nose, savoury stone fruit, fresh out the oven scones with orange marmalade. (***)

AROMATIC WHITE:

·         Cederberg Bukettraube (2012): German grape, off-dry. Guava rolls, litchi, zesty sweetness, sherbety fizz, mouth watering, sweet Sauvignon, needs food to tone, fresh.

Words on Whites:

·         Riesling & Gewurtztrammer are other examples of aromatic wines.

·         Aromatic wines are from the Alsace region

·         Cognac is made from Ugni Blanc or Colombar grapes

·         Chenin is a proudly South African white

·         Chenin used to make up 50% of the vines in SA

·         Chenin is used to make brandy.

·         It can also be used for MCC, oaked, unoaked, dry or sweet wine

·         Steenberg has a bubbly & Champagne bar on the farm serving Graham Beck & Steenberg MCC’s & Champagnes

·         Most Bukettraube is grown in Zimbabwe

Sterling Steenberg

There were bubbles – this is a good way to start the tasting of The Wines. There was also talk of a burger – a Steenburger to be precise involving beef, pork, foie gras & truffle parmesan chips. My stomach wished this was more than talk, but was happy with the tasty wines – most notably the new mystery (to me) varietal.

WHITE:

·         Steenberg 1682 MCC (2011): Apple cider vinegar, rye bread, lemon marmalade, sourdough bread, unripe naartjie, the insides of sour green apple jelly beans, empty salt cellars, Brie & lime marmalade, creamy processed cheese mouthfeel.

·         Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc (2012): Stale fridge, asparagus, unpeeled litchis, Camembert & passion fruit, oranges, creamy blue cheese, mineral but soft

·         HMS Rattlesnake Sauvignon Blanc (2011): Tinned peas & corn, corn flapjacks, orange rind, light & creamy, tinned peaches, buttiriness, fish fingers, more acidity than previous, caramelised sugar. Darling, Durnbanville & Steenberg, 30% barrel fermented in 500 – 600 litre barrel. 11% Semillon.  (*)

RED:

·         Steenberg Shiraz (2011): Creamed butter & sugar, shortbread with lurking ginger & choc chips, soft, violet, velvet soaked in butter, rich, bitter liquorice, pink pepper, becomes spicier & more savoury as it ages. “Slutty Shiraz” – everybody loves it. (**)

·         Steenberg Nebbiolo (2011): Mary Poppins’ strawberry medicine, strawberry juice concentrate, strawberry jam, spicy strawberry juice (not fresh squeezed), viscous, tanniny, mouth watering, the kiddies red cooldrink of wine, black cherry juice, red Jelly Tots. Easy drinking summer time red.  Becomes more savoury & mushroomy (forest floor) as it ages. 6 000 bottles produced, most in SA. (**)

Jottings from JD:

·         Shiraz = “7 second slut” – she’ll bend over backward to please you – Katinka van Niekerk of the Food & Wine Pairing Guide

·         2 lips on an MCC bottle – lower 1 for the wire to keep the cork in, top 1 to hook the crown cap.

·         Nebbiolo is a Mediterranean/Italian variety. Normally aged 15 – 20 years before tannins soften

·         SA winemaking style has varied from traditional methods in order for Nebbiolo to be drunk younger

·         Mother block of Nebbiolo planted in 1994

·         Steenberg was the first winery in SA to plant Nebbiolo

·         Constantia Crest embossed on the bottle  - moulded for the region. Only used by wines made 100% of Constantia origin.

·         MCC is riddled by hand & the neck labelling etc. is all applied by hand.

·         Other Nebbiolos in SA:

·         Du Toitskloof – approx R65

·         Idiom

·         Morgenster

·         Nebbiolo is named after the mists that settle over the vineyards in the native region

·         Nebbiolo has Pinot Noir characteristics

·         It’s like “foreplay in a bottle”

 

The Enchantments of Elgin

I do believe, my intrepid readers, that you may be spotting a trend in the number of Great Wine Adventures embarked upon in recent times - this can be attributed to a number of factors, including, but not limited to:

• The prolificacy of The Good Wine
• The prolificacy of The Homes of The Good Wine
• The prolificacy of our enthusiasm to drink The Good Wine
• The prolificacy of our enthusiam to visit The Homes of The Good Wine
• The incredible and most admirable willingness of The Homes of The Good Wine to host a Magic Tour bus load of The Ones who Love The Wine But Do Not Necessarily Know Much Thereof
• The ingenious ability of The One Who Knows The Wine (fondly referred to as The Gem of The Wines) to convince these poor, unsuspecting souls at The Homes of The Good Wine to host the aforementioned enthusiasts of The Wine

I do also believe that, by now, you may have realised I am building up to an account of another Great Wine Adventure. You are correct in your assumption. Below commences aforesaid account:

As the standard appears to be, our keen group of Enthusiasts gathered. There may have been a party or two who appeared mildly less keen but this was mainly attributed to their inability to reign in their enthusiasm for The Wine the eve before.

Onto our Magic Tour bus we hopped, fresh & buttery pastries in hand, compliments of the finest Hatch of baked goods.

The adventure began with talks of icing sugar related drug habits & the multiple forms of The Cancer Stick.

We adventured along winding mountain roads as the demerits of various rather unfortunate names were discussed.

After a brief debate on whether to indulge in the Wonderful Pies from our previous adventure before or after The Wine, we, most predictably, chose The Wine. Down a small dusty road we discovered our first destination - a tiny home of momentous examples of red wines filled with little jewels from wine. This proved that The Wine truly is a thing of Wonder.

We enjoyed blends, single varietals & vintages - we even took a little stroll around the vineyards where we discovered a pet or two enjoying the Fruits of The Vines (some of whom may have enjoyed a bunch or two too many).

The general response of The Group to The Wines on offer was overwhelmingly positive - so much so that 3 of the bottles purchased were consumed before we reached our next destination (given there was a brief stop for the purchase of The Wonderful Pies en route).

Having satisfied our breakfast apetites for The Red Wine, we were swiftly usher up a hill to a rather impressive Home of The Good Wine where we were, rather bravely, set free to create our very own example of The Good Wine. The Group was divided in order to foster a modicum of healthy competition & away we went - we were tasked with sampling 7 examples of the newly fermented vintage of The Sauvignon Blanc. We embarked on this task with gusto. There was also the small matter of having to combine the correct (in our wine-soaked minds) proportion of each to create a stunning example of The Good Wine. I recall much drinking of The Sauvignon Blanc - all of them in turn tasting rather pleasant and in the end we concurred that a blend of these would, in deed, be a good foundation to a worthy example of The Sauvignon Blanc. The exact details of how to go about this became far less pertinent when we caught sight of a table laid heavy with The Cheese.

A feast of The Cheese & all it's best associated ensued along with many more examples of The Good Wine.

In a haze of The Cheese & The Wine (I do appear to leave these events in a haze rather oftentimes), we delicately made our way back to The Magic Tour bus where much merriment (and Bavarian brews) ensued en route homewards where the fun continued to escalate at the beloved Beer Bar where many of our best examples of The Good Wines find themselves at home.

A true adventure was had by all - and all are counting down until the next.

There's A Suma on my Ridge

Sumaridge:

My most noteworthy aspect of the tasting, outside of the wines – although we were offered the only white of the eve as a “welcome drink” (a practice I fully support going forward) which was rather notable- was the seasonal platters on offer on the farm. I am a fan of platters served with The Wine. I’d try it.

WHITE:

·         Sumaridge Maritimus (2010): 55% Sauv, 30% Chardonnay, 13% Semillon, 2% Viognier. Green apricots, orange punch, orange peel, big flavour but fresh, mouth watering, well-educated Sauv, savoury oranges. Sauv – cold tank fermented, Chard & Semillon – 4^th fill Chardonnay barrels. Less acidity gives aging potential. (**)

RED:

·         Sumaridge Epitome (2009): 54% Shiraz, 46% Pinotage. Spicy raspberries & cherries, berry cobbler with nutmeg, oxtail & vanilla, caramel & custard, tanniny, velvety mouthfeel, berry coulis & custard, light, airy spices, lurking Stopayne at the finish, peppery chicken mayo sandwich, spice increases as it breathes, spicy pickles when you sniff your empty glass, tangy sweetness.

·         Sumaridge Epitome (2008): 57% Shiraz, 33% Pinotage, 10% Merlot on new wood. Strong honey, rich with spice, oats & butter, crème caramel with spicy coulis, fynbos, slight bitterness at the end, hot cross buns with Marmite, cough mix, acetone on the empty glass. (*)

·         Sumaridge Epitome (2007): Shiraz, Pinotage & Merlot. Honeyed muesli, granola & raisins, molasses, cough mix, (*) for the nose, less for the taste.

Notes from this Novice:

·         Vineyards that are radically exposed to the maritime climate produce the most distinctive flavours.

·         Vineyard is primarily a Chardonnay & Pinot Noir producer

·         Granite is the mother rock of the farm & the soil is high in iron

·         Epitome – site specific wine, Cape blend of Shiraz & Pinotage

·         Greek for ultimate example or best expression

Tasting The Wine - Homestyle

Feeling most emboldened (likely due to an accumulation of The Wine in my system), I braved hosting a small tasting at my humble home. There were snacks and The Wine, making it largely successful - despite the advent of my first encounter with The Corked Wine (read The Bad Wine).

WHITE:

•  Rietvallei Classic Chardonnay (2011): Orange, “bites back”, vague butter, grows more buttery & soft with breathing (6,5/10)

• Jackson’s Chardonnay (2009):  *Corked. Raisin, salty Hanepoot, pickled kale, Brut, flat bubbly, dried apricots, bitterness, “2 minute wine” (4/10)

• Spier Private Collection Chenin Blanc (2009): Limey colour, caramelized pineapple, spanspek, creamy fullness but not silky, aprocits, fried butter (8,5/10)

ROSE:

• Delheim Pinotage Rose (2012): Sweetness & happy days, summer & smiles, fizz, raspberry

RED:

•  BLANKBottle Kah-Shar (2005): Balsamic & tannins, meaty, Pepin Conde-esque, brown onion soup, metallic, 100% Merlot.

• Agterplaas Red Blend (2006): Red berries, smooth with tannins, raw silk

My Favourite Things...to Drink

A list which will continue to grow (and grow and grow), but here are a few of my favourite of The Wines thus far. I won't give them star ratings because they're all super stars to me.


MCC:

• Rhebokskloof MCC - This is a real wow-factor MCC. I tasted it & wanted to run away with the bottle. It's quite an emotionally trying MCC because it's so good you want to share the experience with others but you also really really don't want to share it. The only way to avoid the conflict is to have 2 bottles. Each.

WHITE:

• Boekenhoutskloof Wolftrap - both the red (Syrah, Mouvdre, Viognier) & white (Chenin, Grenache, Viognier) wolves make for very pleasant company. They're properly tasty wines & great for any occasion. And pretty affordable to boot.
• Yardstick's Marvelous Ka-Pow - this was one of my first wine-loves. Chenin, Chardonnay, Viognier = bloody marvelousness in a glass. 
• Marklew Chardonnay - my nose loves this wine, almost more than my mouth loves the taste. It brings back summer day smiles of cold melon on the balcony. I do love this wine a small bit.
• Eagles' Nest 2010 Viognier - my first love.  It's not available for sale anymore but I have a sneaky bottle tucked away in The Cupboard of The Good Wine - I'm constantly torn between saving it for a few good years & just ripping out the cork & hugging it.
• Sterhuis Chardonnay - so much of sweetheart love for this wine. The nose melts my heart.
• Spier Reserve Chenin Blanc - this is a BIG wine but it needs to be to encompass all of the goodness. A truly enjoyable gem of a wine.
• Waverley Hills VSC - Viognier, Semillon, Chardonnay - filled with fruity loveliness.
• Painted Wolf Roussanne 2011 - this wine makes you smile when you sip it. It tastes of goodness & happiness .
• The Winery of Good Hope Old Vine Chenin 2012 - smells of crustless cucumber sandwiches at High Tea, tasted of savoury kiwi, passion fruit & guava with a sherbety mouthfeel. A gem with sushi.
• Tormentoso Bush Vine Chenin - 

RED:

• Collaboration Cinsault - this is cupcakes & hugs in a bottle - it feels like it's hugging you all the way from your mouth right down into your tummy.