Swartland Series: Part 3 - Expert Opinions

Callie Louw – Porseleinberg

Andrea & Chris Mullineux – Mullineux Family Wines

Eben Sadie – Sadie Family Wines

Adi Badenhorst – AA Badenhorst Wines

For our last venture into the wines of the local lands, we were faced with the Revolutionaries of the area comparing their own offerings to wines of days past that had inspired them along their way. Spanning everything from the oldest wine of the festival to colloquial quips, the tasting was a perfect representation of just what it is these Revolutionaries have set out to achieve with their beloved valley.

• Vergenoegd Cabernet Sauvignon (1972): “Die wyn is befok”. Peppered lavender, sweet cinnamon berry syrup, soft, melt-in-your-mouth, ending of soft spice. (**)

• Porseleinberg Cabernet Sauvignon (2011): Tart cherry, smokey, smoked chicken, dissolves, ticklish tannins.

• Chateau Rayas Chateau Neuf du Pape (2000): Nutmeg & cumin roast cauliflower, thinking wine, soft tannins, smokey.

• Mullineux Granite Syrah (2010): Corned silverside, green olives, capers, savoury, slight balsamic.

• Domaine Gauby Muntada (2011): Blackened capsicum, yellow peppercorns, savoury lavender, soft, peachy red meat, light with powder puff tannins.

• Sadie Family Columella (2011): Salted caramel butter, light peppermint, rich, full & creamy with coarse powder tannins.

• Domaine De Montbourgeau vin Joune L’Etoile (2006): Sauvignon Blanc. Salted orange caramel fudge, orange liqueur, nutmeg cream, sharp naartjie, drunken oranges.

• AA Badenhorst Funky White NV: 6 years under flor. Drunk orange caramel, baked oranges, allspice, orange rind baked into Christmas pudding.

Swartland Series: Part 2 - Swartland Stories

Craig Hawkins – Testalonga El Bandito & Lammershoek

David Sadie – David & Paardebosch

For our next foray into the world of wine, we moved to the opposite end of the spectrum – wines local to the area made by two of the youngest wine makers in the region. Here, we diverged paths again with the very different approaches of each of these young lads.

• Testalonga El Bandito Skin Contact Chenin Blanc (2014):  42 year old vines, 4 weeks of skin contact. Lime & passion fruit cordial, pineapple beer, fermenting apple juice, charcoal.

• Lammershoek Chenin Blanc (2013): Grass & blossoms, pith, softer, unripe naartjies.

• Testalonga El Bandito King of Grapes (2014): 100% whole bunch Grenache, 2000l wood tanks, 8 days of skin contact. Tart berry jelly, red Wine Gums soaked in alcohol, drunken grandma, slight fine black pepper, powder tannin, lean.

• Lammershoek Celler Foot Mourvedre (2013): Cherry cocktails, white spice, tea bag tannins, strong rooibos, slight bitterness.

• David Aristargos (2013): Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Claret Blanc, Roussanne. Orange blossom, jasmine, lemon soap, softly spiced flowers, Nasturtium spice. (**)

• Paardebosch Chenin Blanc (2014):  9 months in old French oak. Nutmeg & lemon, roundness, grapefruit, spice, warming, strong-willed, baked grapefruit.

• David Elpidias (2012): Shiraz, Carnigan, Grenache, Cinsault, 22 – 24 months age. Spiced gummy berries, tart, powdery, lurking blackness.

• David Grenache (2014): Barrel sample. Clouds of cinnamon, cherry meat, peppered silverside.

Bantering Boys:

• “We pick on acid”
• David is not related to Eben Sadie of Sadie Family Wines

Swartland Series: Part 1 - Quality First

Serge Hochar – Chateau Musar

Now, I have learned enough over some time to know that there are several countries with rather well-established cultures of wine. To my discredit, I shall honestly say I had never considered Lebanon to be amongst these countries. I shall also honestly say – damn, was I wrong.

Our revolutionary adventure began with a tasting with the legendary (to all but myself beforehand apparently)  75 year old, Serge Hochar who has been wine maker at Chateau Musar in Lebanon for the past 56  years. We began with Serge’s youngest releases, working back all the way to a wine of my very own vintage:

• Chateau Musar Red (2007):  Drunken nutmeg, musky cherry, sharp & fruity, cranberry juice, burnt baked cherries.

• Chateau Musar Red (2005): Porty blueberries, pure Chirstmas spices, pepper & cinnamon, gluwein warmth, cherry pips.

• Chateau Musar Red (2003):  Musty strawberries, soft, youngberries, port strawberries. (*)

• Chateau Musar Red (2000): Soft strawberry powder, cherry sherbet, paprika pumpkin, meaty lentils in cumin & balsamic, sprightlier than 2003.

• Chateau Musar Red (1999):  Spiced chocolate mousse with sharp berry coulis, slight creaminess turning to tangy berries, softer & prettier, definition between softness & tanginess.

• Chateau Musar Red (1989):  Warm spice cake, baked seeds, raisins & nuts, balsamic mushroom soup, more tangy

• Chateau Musar White (2005): Butter, orange butter with a small spot of butterscotch, cake battery oats, cookie batter with whiffs of orange, almonds, wild honey (**)

• Chateau Musar White (1991): Peppermint butterscotch sucking sweets, orange rind, slight tannin, fresher.

Serge’s Soliliquy:

• “Wine was invented by God to link him & humanity”
• When asked about the terroir of Lebanon: “Lebanon is only mountains”
• “The most unpredictable things in life are weather, women & wine”
• “Wine is the best tool to enhance communication”
• “White wine is my best red”
• White vines are amongst the oldest in the world – up to 180 years.
• White wines were served unchilled to be better compared to the reds.
• Reds are best after 15 years +
• Best to taste Chateau Musar after the age of 30, younger people do not understand it
• Took 18 years to identify red blend – Cabernet Sauvignon (the backbone),  Carnigan (the muscles) & Cinsault (the skin) – 1/3 each
• White blend – Chardonnay & Viognier
• “As the wine ages, it becomes younger & bigger”
• Best vintage: 1964 White

The Revolt: Swartland Series

Being a most fortunate young lady, I was afforded the opportunity to attend a rather special event over a recent weekend. Having only recently learned the wonders of wine, this particular event has stood out as a rather important one from the start. 

This is not only because of the rumours of marvellous international & vintage wine tastings and the gathering of several wine-minded folk in one small area; but mostly because of the promise of things getting massively out of hand with the rogues of the wine industry on their home ground. This, my dears, is the appeal of The Revolution – The Swartland Revolution. 

Now in it’s 5^th year, the festival aims to educate, to inspire, to challenge and to intoxicate a limited number of wine-enthusiasts in the Riebeek Valley on an annual basis. To follow are my opinions on wines better travelled and far older than myself. May the Revolt begin!

Presenting Paserene

There are, in my limited experience, a number of reasons one falls in love with a particular example of The Wine. The most obvious being the smell & taste. Others include the label, the varietal, the method, a fond memory centred around the wine, the farm, the winemaker, the story....It denotes a rather special expression of The Wine when all of these come together in one. For me, it appears that Paserene Chardonnay 2013 may indeed grow into that wine.

Paserene, the wine with the beautifully wistful girl on the label, is a young wine made with great attention & care. It is a wine with a story ahead, a story that will grow and unfold as the label itself grows and changes. And while our beloved Chardonnay has not become what her creator hoped for her to be, she has become what she should be – a perfect representation of elegance.

Paserene Chardonnay is the child of Martin Smith, wine maker at Vilafonte, and the family will grow to 3 in the future – including a red blend named Marathon and a single-varietal Syrah.

Martin’s first child, Chardonnay, is made from Elgin fruit. He saw his lovely daughter grow to a soft, American-style Chardonnay. Unfortunately, this dear child proved rather strong-willed and said (to quote her father), “fuck you!” and chose a more refined path, taking 12 months to undergo malolactic fermentation followed by 16 months in oak barrel. She is austere, favours lemon cordial & peach pith, with a nutmeg-like undertone.

The next in the family is young Marathon, a Bordeaux blend led by Carmenere which, until early 2015 will not be recognized as a grape varietal in South Africa. Fortunately Father Smith fought for Marathon’s cause & convinced the department of Agriculture to accept this special character going forward. Marathon hails from Philidelphia where Martin is currently the only wine maker using the experimental block to produce his 1 700 bottles of this wine.

In time, we will meet sweet Syrah, who is currently safely tucked between the loving arms of her oak barrels & cemented in.

I, for one, look very much forward to seeing the story unfold.

Dear Me, Dieu

Dieu Donne

Following a rather unsatisfactory tasting at the farm itself, I was happy to find a friendly soul presenting the wares this time around – making the experience all the more pleasant.

MCC:

• Blanc de Blancs (2010): 100% Chardonnay, Rye & Marmite, concentrated salt, carrot gravy, tinkly, poached egg-y vinegar

WHITE:

• Viognier (2013):  Fresh grapes, rounded, pithy, subtle, rich & full but very shy.

• Chardonnay (2013): 50% 1^st fill, 50% 2^nd fill. Spiced, nutmeg butterscotch, pan-fried butter, honey blossom, desiccated coconut, oranges drizzles with pan-fried butter, full & buttery, toasty caramel. (**)

RED:

• Cabernet Shiraz (2011): 85% Cab, 15% Shiraz. Peppery berries, spiced berries in gentle cream, green peppercorn, tart cherry chocolate, creamy but light, cherry chocolate mousse.

• Merlot (2010): Sharp, sour strawberries, cherry gravy, chewable cherry vitamins, full & round but sharply tart, fresh raspberry.

Keeping It Cool

Siris Chilled Reds

Not being the most educated in The Wine, I do not have to support my sometimes (read: most times) unconventional Wine-related practises. One of said practises is to always chill The Red Wine. I have found a supporter of my practise in these particular wines.

RED:

• Seven Springs Pinot Noir (2012): 2^nd vintage produced. Strawberries in balsamic reduction, light savouriness, soft pepper pastries, dusty peppered rose, currant biltong. (*)

• Quando Pinot Noir (2012):  3000 bottles produced. Green dust, chalk powder, cumin, salty, licking the bottom of a filter coffee, cheese & jam tarts, white pepper coffee, cherry smoke.

• Waverley Hills Grenache Noir (2013): 500 bottles produced. Cherry ice lollies, berry Wine Gums, sweet scallop, red juice concentrate, slight vinigariness, blackcurrant fruit pastilles.

• Arendsig Grenache Noir (2013): Strawberry jam, syrupy, slightly tannic, berry jam tartlets, cranberry, light but full. (*)

• Alphabetical (2011): Swartland Shiraz / Stellenbosch Cab sauv, field spicing, governed by a style vs a recipe. Spicy cherry Pro-Vitas, Special K bars, chalky tannins, dusty, black berries.

NOTES:

• Red wine served too cold – brings out tannins
• Quando – in ecpactation of, langverwacht
• Waverley Hills – 9 Johan’s work on the farm (Johan Wyn, Johan Tuin, etc.)

Dis Koel by die Fontein

Koelfontein

When there is tasting of multiple vintages of lemon meringue yoghurt wine, I a happy person am made.

WHITE:

• Chardonnay (2010): 9 months in 1^st fill. Lemon cheesecake custard, tennis biscuit cheesecake base, lingering biscuits, toasted tennis biscuits, lurking toasty pith (**)

• Chardonnay (2011): Lemon jelly & custard, lemon & lime cheesecake, full, fresh, light, tangy tinned pineapple syrup, creamy, whisper of orange rind, toasty nuts (**)

• Chardonnay (2012): Rye, biscuit crust, dried peaches & apricot, chunky marmalade, acidic end, shy.

RED:

• Shiraz (2006):  Toffee apple berries, sugar syrup sweetness, soft, wispy tannins of taffeta, smokey, smidgen of Scott’s Emulsion, Milk of Magnesia mouthfeel (*)

• Shiraz (2007): Jammy, berry jam with nutmeg, savoury cinnamon, meaty fruit, latte, coffee grounds, chunk dark chocolate, background of black cherry cream, banana.

• Shiraz (2008): Coffee-cured biltong, wet & meaty, strong coffee with tart black cherry essence, black cherry liquorice, winter cherry & lentil soup, building Thai spice.

• Shiraz (2009): Nutmeg baked cherries, savoury stuffed cherries, smokey & bloody chorizo, shy on the tongue, grippy on the side of the mouth.

• Shiraz (2010): Fresh black cherries, lightly bakes cherries, soft down pillows, whispers of tannin, full & creamy, licking whipped cream. (**)

Notes:

• Label  was started in 2002
• 3 000 bottles of Chardonnay produced per year
• 6 000 bottles of Shiraz per year – 18 months on new oak
• Only farm in the Ceres with grapes (5ha)  - actually a fruit farm
• No cellar on the farm, the wine is made at Saronsberg
• Snowfall area
• 2006 & 2007 Shiraz was from the presenters’ private stock
• Corlien of Wine Concepts is the owners’ sister
• 2009 was only labelled for competitions, was not released at the time of tasting
• Wine, fresh fruit & dried fruit are all sold under the same label
• Stock Woolworths with dried fruit

Leaping Leprechauns!

Rainbow’s End

I am unashamedly a white wine fan but from time to winter time, one does enjoy the occasional red. These were indeed a pot o’ gold!

RED:

• Cabernet Sauvignon (2010): Over ripe strawberries with covered up spices, slightly rotting cherries, Marmite, boiled up berries with rhubarb, like sipping a floor plan, baked bluegum leaves.

• Cabernet Sauvignon (2011): Cherry chocolate pudding, sweet spiced jam, plum skin, slightly alcoholic, meaty

• Cabernet Franc (2011): Green peppercorn mulberries, green peppercorns on cherry tart, clingy velvet, slightly harsh, like bluegum pods & leaves

• Cabernet Franc (2012): Bush vine, 1 clone, 3 – 4 barrels produced. Sugar cinnamon raspberries, cinnamon steak, sharp fresh cherries with nutmeg, cheeky tart, would age. “Cab fab”

• Mount Vernon Galileo (2011): Cab Sauv, Petit Verdot, Merlot & Malbec.  Creamed cherries with spice, sour cherries, soft but sharp at the end.

NOTES:

• No whites or rose
• Specialize in classic Bordeaux style
• Area (Banghoek) – ideal for Bordeaux varietals

Pragtig Soos 'n Plaas

Mooiplaas

WHITE:

• MCC (2009): 50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay, 3 years on lees. Big & ballsy, rye bread, punchy passion fruity roses.

• Sauvignon Blanc (2009): Long lees contact, bottle aged. Green passion fruit, lurking Marmite, asparagus dipped in melted Marmite butter, concentrated peach juice, peach pippy.

• Bushvine Chenin (2013): Old vines, 3,8 – 4 tons per hectare, stainless steel tanks, lees contact. Green grapes, fynbos, lime chewing sweets, peach juice, sweet apricot cotton candy, spot of savoury, full, honeyed dried apricot (*)

RED:

• Cabernet Sauvignon (2007): Raspberry & cherry jam tarts, tarty, bitchy pepper, sour Jelly Babies, cheeky, red Wine Gum roses, full & creamy, VERY rich, creamy mousse texture.

• Rosalind (2007): Top 15 barrels selected, Cabernet Sauv (22 months in oak), Cabernet Franc (22 months in oak), Merlot (18 months in oak), 1^st fill French, 3 months in barrel post-blending. Peppered berries, sharper, fresher & fruity but full, light tannins. (*)

• Pinotage (2012): 35 year old bush vines, unwooded. Oxtail stew soup, cupboard full of spice, creamed oxtail ravioli, very rich, beef biltong fat, too rich soft.

• Cabernet Sauvignon (2001): Single vineyard, 22 months oaked. Cheeky berries, whiff of acetone, powder tannins, strong Stopayne, rye.

NOTES:

• Family – there’s nobody you’ll fight harder with & nobody you’ll fight harder for
• Farm is run by 3 cousines – viticulturist, wine maker & sales
• Wooded Chenin to be released soon

Seeing Stars – for years!

Sterhuis Vertical

There are no reason for words beyond Chardonnay vertical. Happiest human on earth.

WHITE:

• Chardonnay (2004): 1^st vintage from the farm, 5 bottles remaining, 100% new oak. Drunk orange blossoms, grapefruit marmalade, dark chocolate baked orange, orange honey, Granny in a wine, delicious & sweet but ballsy. (*****)

• Chardonnay (2006): Char-grilled peaches, cheese biscuits with apricot jam, caramelized jam, baked white peaches, tangy honey, slightly overbaked rusks. (**)

• Chardonnay (2008): 50% new oak, ½ malolacticc ferment.  Salted butterscotch, bicarby honeycomb, fresh, grainy, limey, baked buttered lime, sharp.

• Chardonnay (2009): 60% new oak. Dried apricot & rye, lemon Super C’s, gossamer fizz, pithy sherbet, pretty but cheeky, litchi-tizer. (**)

• Chardonnay (2010): 40% new oak, 30% 2^nd fill, 30% 3^rd fill. Fresh & sharp, jasmine, orange blossom honey, buttery honey cake, sugar syrup, floral, sweethearts (***)

• Chardonnay (2011): 40% new oak. Litchi jelly, fizzy lemon sherbet, lemon meringue sherbet, sugared pith, orange marmalade cotton candy, needs to age. (***)

• Chardonnay (2012): 40% new oak. Sugared grapefruit, honey-glazed grapefruit, syrup marmalade, sticky sweetness, needs age. (**)

Notes:

• Tagline translates to “there’s no easy way from the earth to the stars”
• “How much Chardonnay is grown on the farm? Not enough!”
• Lawnmower = Burgundy tractor
• 2010 – 2012 – used traditional Burgundy method for oaking
• 2009 Chardonnay – “Stand back, I don’t know how big it’s going to get”
• Soil in Western Cape is older than that of many regions in France
• Combination of yeasts in wines give complexity
• 2004 – 2009 – library stock

A Spring In My Sip

7 Springs Vineyards

One of the most very festive of the wine tastings I have attended in quite some time – I learned much, including that the flavour of Pinot Noir can be compared to “slapping a strawberry” and that it takes a lot of beer to make good wine.

WHITE:

• Unoaked Chardonnay (2012): 5 months on lees. Fresh green apples, crisp, lurking toasted butter, white peach, soft & full, lurking acidity, lime butter. (**)

• Chardonnay (2011): Buttered toasted hot cross buns with candied orange rind, Jason’s Bakery hot cross buns, orange zest, marmalade. (***)

• Sauvignon Blanc (2012): Chewy peach candy, peach Jelly Babies, peach juice concentrate, peach & apricot juice, background acid, pair with thai green curry, pineapple juice. (**)

RED:

• Pinot Noir (2012): Jam marinated mushrooms, bakes raspberry jam, soft & silky, strong black tea, spicy, turmeric, cardamom, sour cherry, sherry essence, “slap in the face with a strawberry”. (**)
• Syrah (2012): Sweet cherry tart, strawberry tart with cream & vanilla, black forest cake, stewed peaches & apricots, sharp balsamic-ness, sour, tart.

Notes:
·       “Everyone’s nose smells different”
·       Hermanus = Little Burgundy
·       “Drink all the Cab you want when you’re dead”
·       “Cheery cherries”
·       “Greengage? It’s a jelly”
·       Winemaker started at 7 Springs in 2010.
·       Travelled to learn to make wine: California for Chard,  Oregon for Pinot Noir, France for Syrah, SA for Sauv Blanc.

Befriending Finlayson

Having grown into a rather enthusiastic (and frequent) consumer of The Wine, it was inevitable that I had heard much of the highly regarded wines crafted by Mr Peter Finlayson out in the valley of Heaven & Earth. Recently, I was privileged to partake in a thorough introduction to the fabled Finlayson.

The Setting: Kyoto Sushi Garden

FLIGHT 1: SAUVIGNON BLANC

Paired with: Yellowtail ceviche

• Bouchard Finlayson Sauvignon Blanc (2007): Lime juice, zesty, soft & full, unexpectedly round & creamy, pith, dusty asparagus, rounds out.

• Bouchard Finlayson Sauvignon Blanc (2009): Oily lemon skin, lighter, just disappears in your mouth, lemon jellies, creams out as it breathes.

• Bouchard Finlayson Sauvignon Blanc Reserve (2009): 14% Semillon. Citronella oil, yellow Fruity Chews, sprightly, spritzy, pop of pepper at the end, savoury subtlety.

FLIGHT 2: PINOT NOIR

Paired with: Tuna tartare

• Bouchard Finlayson Galpin Peak Pinot Noir (2010): Red mushroom broth, fermenting strawberries, light but full soup, brown onion soup.

• Bouchard Finlayson Galpin Peak (2011): Baked chocolate mousse, aniseed, creamy but slight Velcro tannin, spicy end.

• Bouchard Finlayson Galpin Peak Pinot Noir (2012): Strawberry oil, nutmeg, tannic, metallic, Christmas strawberries.

FLIGHT 3: HANNIBAL

Paired with: Tempura sweet potato, spinach & broccoli stem with teppenyaki sauce

• Bouchard Finlayson Hannibal (2010): 50% Sangiovese, 10% Nebbiolo. Creamed strawberry broth, white onion soup powder, very salty cheese, big & mouth filling, chalk powder tannins

• Bouchard Finlayson Hannibal (2011): 50% Sangiovese, 10% Nebbiolo. Cherry chocolate, onion stew, creamy, comforting, pouring cream.

• Bouchard Finlayson Hannibal (2012): 39% Sangiovese, 10% Nebbiolo. Bovril soup, spiced roses, savoury spiced cream, powder tannin, Christmasy.

FLIGHT 4: CHARDONNAY

Paired with: Miso soup with mixed mushrooms & noodles

• Bouchard Finlayson Sans Barrique Chardonnay (2008): Sans = without, barrique = wood, 100% unwooded. Fermented green apples, sour apple juice, pear ferment, over ripe prickly pears.

• Bouchard Finlayson Kaaimansgat Limited Chardonnay (2009): Crocodile’s Lair, name of vineyard grapes are sourced from in Villiersdorp, 25% new wood. Nutmeg brioche, French toast, fresh but round. (**)

• Bouchard Finlayson Missionvale Chardonnay (2011): Bottled in magnum, 30% new wood, own vines, Missonvale is the location of the vineyard – location of an old mission hospital. Orange spiced blossom butter, slight oiliness, orange pith, round & soft, downy, comforting intellectual company. (*)

NOTES:

• Sauvignon spends 3 – 4 month on primary lees
• Pinot Noir: 30% each of 1^st, 2^nd & 3^rd fill barrel
• Hannibal is a Sangiovese led blend.
• Hannibal blend usually includes Sangiovese, Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo, Barbera, Mourvedre & Shiraz
• Pinot Noir is planted 9 000 vines per hectare – increases leaf surface area of vineyards – “Everything that goes into the wine comes from the leaves”
• Increased leaf surface area = increased intensity & flavour concentration
• Spacing of vines is dictated by the width of the tractor used on the farm
• Farm has heavy clay soil – use of a tractor would compact the soil
• First vines planted in 1990
• “Pinot Noir is a white wine grape variety that only produces red wine in good conditions”
• “Growing Pinot Noir is like growing mushrooms – you just have to get the conditions right”
• “There’s a difference between red wine & black wine”
• “Pinophiliac – it’s a rare blood type”
• Sangiovese makes up 10% of total planting in Italy